Memorial Day Trivia: Which State Observed It First?

Today is Memorial Day, which means more than just grilling burgers on the grill, getting the day off and proudly displaying Old Glory.

There are probably a few things that you didn't know about the holiday, which always falls on the last Monday in May, that you should know.

1. Boalsburg, PA, maintains that it is the birthplace of Memorial Day, in October 1864.

2. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans—the Grand Army of the Republic—established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.

3. In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, NY, the “birthplace” of Memorial Day.

4. The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.

5. Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.