Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English.

Coming up on the show, we have a report from Jill Robbins about Mount Fuji. We also hear the

Science and Technology Report from Brian Lynn. And we close the show with The Lesson of the Day.

But first, it's back to Mario.

World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in France on June 28,

1919. However, fighting had stopped seven months earlier with an armistice or an agreement to stop fighting,

between the Allied nations and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

The date, November 11th, is now remembered as Veterans Day,

a holiday to thank and honor all who served in the United States military.

The celebration first started on November 11, 1919, as Armistice Day. At the time,

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson said the 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. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says there were plans

to observe the day with parades, public meetings, and a brief suspension of business, beginning

at 11 a.m. In 1926, the U.S. Congress officially recognized November 11, 1918, as the end of World War I. And in 1938, the body passed legislation

to make the 11th of November, in each year, a legal holiday. Known as Armisticeice day it was a day set aside to honor veterans of

World War I after American involvement in World War II and the Korean War at the

urging of veterans organizations Congress changed the law in

1954 to call it Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars.

The date for Veterans Day was changed in 1968 with the signing of the uniform holiday act

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