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The Michael Berry Show Memorial Day.

It traces its roots to the aftermath of the American Civil War, which claimed more

lives than any other U.S. conflict and led to the establishment of national cemeteries. The holiday was originally known as

decoration day. It was a day when Americans would decorate the graves of fallen soldiers

with flowers, flags, and wreaths.

The first widespread observance was on May 30th, 1868,

organized by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic,

a Union veterans group.

Several towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day,

including Waterloo, New York,

which was officially recognized by the federal government in 1966

for holding an annual community-wide event honoring our war dead

starting in 1866, 100 years earlier.

Originally honoring only those who died in the Civil War,

the holiday was later extended to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars,

including World War I, two, Korea, Vietnam, and more recent conflicts.

The term Memorial Day became more common after World War II, and in 1971, Congress declared

it a federal holiday, officially naming it Memorial Day, and moving its

observance from May 30th to the last Monday in May, creating a three-day weekend. It wasn't

a dedicated last Monday in May before. It was a set day, so it could fall in the middle of the week.

Now, the day of the month that it occurs differs every year because it's set based on

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