when was armistice day changed to veterans day

Armistice Day was officially changed to Veterans Day in 1954, when Congress amended the earlier Armistice Day law and President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the change on June 1, 1954.

Key date and what changed

• In 1938, November 11 was established in U.S. law as “Armistice Day” to honor World War I veterans.

• After World War II and the Korean War, veterans’ groups pushed to recognize all American veterans, not just those from WWI.

• On June 1, 1954, Congress amended the 1938 act, replacing the word “Armistice” with “Veterans,” and November 11 legally became Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars.

Extra historical context

• The original Armistice marked the end of World War I hostilities on November 11, 1918, at the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”

• The shift in 1954 reflected how much larger and broader U.S. military service had become after WWII and Korea, making a day focused on all veterans feel more fitting.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.