It originated as Decoration Day in May 1868, an annual commemoration in which the graves of the war dead were decorated with flowers.
At the time, Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, who served in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War, declared that Decoration Day should be observed in May because flowers would be in bloom all across the country.
As decades passed, it became known as Memorial Day, and in 1971 a federal law took effect declaring Memorial Day a national holiday to be held on the last Monday of May, observing all military personnel who have died in American wars.
Here are the total battle deaths from America's wars, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. (These numbers do not include those who died in theater but not in battle.)
