"Thank You Vets"

The federal holiday was originally called Armistice Day and established to honor World War I veterans. It falls on Nov. 11 to mark the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, which was formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
Armistice Day began its transformation to Veterans Day in 1953, when Alfred King, a shoe store owner in Emporia, Kan., had the idea to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I, on Armistice Day. King campaigned for the change at the local, state and federal levels, and on May 26, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill into law.