Good morning, Happy Memorial Day! The Summer unofficially kicks off this weekend, ending with Labor Day weekend in September. As the Fifth Dimension suggests, “Let the Sunshine In!” Memorial Day, originally “Decoration Day,” initially arose through early commemorations of the war dead from the Civil War, when graves would be decorated with flags and flowers. While its first formal celebration occurred in Waterloo, New York in 1866, some historians trace its beginnings to celebrations by the formerly enslaved shortly after the South’s surrender. The first nationally recognized Decoration Day was on May 30, 1868, at which event President James Garfield spoke at Arlington National Cemetery. Garfield was gunned down less than four months later, dying not of his wounds, but of the horrific medical care that too late accepted the scientific advancements of the era (namely, germ theory).
#364 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 30)
#364 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May…
#364 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 30)
Good morning, Happy Memorial Day! The Summer unofficially kicks off this weekend, ending with Labor Day weekend in September. As the Fifth Dimension suggests, “Let the Sunshine In!” Memorial Day, originally “Decoration Day,” initially arose through early commemorations of the war dead from the Civil War, when graves would be decorated with flags and flowers. While its first formal celebration occurred in Waterloo, New York in 1866, some historians trace its beginnings to celebrations by the formerly enslaved shortly after the South’s surrender. The first nationally recognized Decoration Day was on May 30, 1868, at which event President James Garfield spoke at Arlington National Cemetery. Garfield was gunned down less than four months later, dying not of his wounds, but of the horrific medical care that too late accepted the scientific advancements of the era (namely, germ theory).