Washington, D.C., Nov. 11, 2009: A visitor to the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., looks at wreaths placed during a Veterans Day ceremony on a rainy Wednesday. Each of the stars in the background represents 100 American servicemembers killed during World War II.

November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day — the day all fighting ended on the fronts of WWI — with the following words:

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

The day was declared an official federal holiday in 1938 and was initially known as a day set aside to honor WWI veterans. In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day by Congress at the urging of a number of veterans service organizations, to become a day to honor the veterans of all wars.