Memorial Day: 10 Fast Facts That You Should Know

Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer for many. Every year, families and friends gather to enjoy a day filled with backyard barbeques, parades, and road trips. Above all else, it’s a day to honor those who died while in service to the U.S. military.

Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated following the Civil War. It became an official federal holiday in 1971. Without the service of our American heroes, we could not enjoy our fundamental rights, including freedom of speech, trial by duty and right to privacy. Every year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. So, before you go out to celebrate, make sure to say “thank you” to your local hero.

Below, we have included 10 fun facts from WalletHub, a personal finance website, to impress all of your friends at the next barbeque.

10 Fast Facts for Memorial Day

1. 45 million veterans have served the country in wartime
2. 260,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery are adorned with American flags each Memorial Day
3. 818 hot dogs are consumed every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day (7 billion total)
4. 96% of companies will close their offices on Memorial Day.
5. 42.8 million Americans plan to travel over Memorial Day weekend, with Orlando being the No. 1 most popular destination
6. 1.5 million people will watch the National Memorial Day parade on TV.
7. $486 is the average spending over Memorial Day weekend
8. 25% more home-cooking fires happen on Memorial Day than average
9. 45.5% of Americans are “likely” to take advantage of Memorial Day deals
10. There are 40+ freebies and special discounts available to veterans and military personnel