25 Veterans Day Facts to Honor Those Who’ve Served

Anyone who glances at a calendar in the United States and sees "Veterans Day" can most likely figure out the holiday's purpose. The name itself does not leave much mystery as to what it's all about—rightfully honoring our military veterans. However, plenty of background information on this annual commemoration is much less well-known. Thankfully, you can celebrate this year with some added, enlightened perspective with these 25 Veterans Day facts! 

Veterans Day is observed annually across America with resounding reverence (this year, it's on November 11, 2024). Those who have served in the Armed Forces have earned our nation's full respect and admiration. But although we honor them with a holiday, how much do we truly know about how the day came to be or what the veteran population currently looks like? Are we even spelling Veterans Day correctly? Did we know it used to have an entirely different name?

Besides just thanking veterans for their service (which you should absolutely do!), why not use the holiday as an opportunity to learn more about its history and about our veterans themselves?

Related: The 25 Best Veterans Day 2024 Deals for Those Who’ve Served

25 Veterans Day Facts

1. It's not "Veteran's Day" or "Veterans' Day"—Veterans Day is actually spelled without an apostrophe.

2. Originally, Veterans Day was known as "Armistice Day," which was first celebrated on the one-year anniversary of when the agreement to cease fire was made ending World War I.

3. The official end of World War I (known as "The Great War" or "The War to End All Wars") was not until June of 1919 with a signed treaty.

4. November 11 is Veterans Day each year, with only the day of the week fluctuating. What's the significance of that exact date? The armistice between the Allied forces and Germany was put into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

5. In 1938, Armistice Day was officially made into a legal holiday.

6. In 1954, Armistice Day was updated by Congress to be known as Veterans Day, since the United States had fought in two other massive wars (World War II and the Korean War). This allows veterans of all wars to be honored.

7. From 1971–1977, the "Uniform Holiday Bill" went into effect. This moved Veterans Day from its set date of November 11 to being celebrated on a Monday, allowing Federal employees to have a three-day weekend.

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8. The switch was confusing and unnecessary for those six years because some Americans continued to observe Veterans Day on the original date while others commemorated it on the new day. In 1978, Veterans Day was changed once again to November 11th, by President Gerald R. Ford.

9. Other countries have similar celebrations for veterans. For example, Canada and Australia both honor November 11th as "Remembrance Day." Great Britain also calls their observance "Remembrance Day," but it is held on the Sunday closest to the 11th of November.

10. Veterans Day differs in meaning from Memorial Day—the United States holiday that honors specifically those who lost their lives while serving in the military.

Related: 75 Veterans Day Quotes

11. Arlington National Cemetery holds an annual memorial service every Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

12. Based on statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 325,574 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II were still alive in 2020.

13. 2 million veterans served during the Korean War.

14. 7 million veterans served in the Vietnam War.

15. There were approximately 20.3 million living veterans in the United States in 2018, according to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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16. According to the Pew Research Center, "About three-quarters (77%) of veterans in 2016 served during wartime and 23% only served during peacetime."

17. In 2017, the states with the highest percentage of Veterans were Alaska, Maine and Montana.

18. The District of Columbia, Virginia and Alaska had the highest percentage of Veteran women in 2017.

19. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, "The largest living cohort of male Veterans served during the Vietnam Era (August 1964 to April 1975) while the largest living cohort of female Veterans served during the Post-9/11 period (September 2001 or later)."

20. According to 2016 data, at the time, 91% of veterans were men, while 9% were women.

21. "7% of U.S. adults were veterans, down from 18% in 1980," according to the Census Bureau in 2016.

22. One of the possible factors for the declining number of United States veterans? The military draft ended in 1973.

23. The Veterans Affairs Department believes that by 2045, "there will be around 12 million veterans, a roughly 40% decrease from [2017] numbers."

24. By 2045, it's expected that the number of female veterans will double to 18%.

25. According to an April 2017 Pew Research Center survey, 75% of Americans said that if they were in charge of the federal budget, they would increase spending for veterans' benefits and services.

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