Not to anyone’s surprise, Memorial Day has gone the way of too many holidays in the United States. Instead of celebrations, memorials, and acknowledgement of some significant event or person’s contribution it’s a day off work to rest or SALE, SALE, SALE! Many don’t even remember or never knew why it’s celebrated. Well, for those who don’t know or maybe have forgotten while perusing the sales papers planning your shopping strategy, here are few historical facts:
- More than 750,000 lost their lives in the Civil War.
- It’s not known in which state the holiday originated. At last count, more than 2 dozen U.S. citizens were claiming to be the birthplace
- In May 1966, LBJ officially declared the birthplace to be Waterloo, NY
- It was borne of a desire to remember the fallen soldiers of the American Civil War
- It traces back to May 30, 1868, when General John Logan stated that Memorial Day is for, “…strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” It was called, Decoration Day.
Now that we’ve re-familiarized ourselves with the history of the day, let’s share a few fun facts about Memorial Day.
- The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council notes that starting on Memorial Day, Americans will consume a stomach-busting 818 dawgs per second.
- 57% of celebrants will barbecue.
- Top choices for grilling will be burgers (85%), steak (80%), hot dogs (79%) and chicken (73%), with no sign of tofurkey anywhere in the ratings.
- The National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. marks the largest of its kind in the U.S., and should easily attract 250,000 live spectators.
- This year, the average price of gas is $2.66/gallon. That is a 20% price jump from January, heading into the weekend. Walk to those sales, people!
There’s nothing wrong with celebrating around a grill and having one of the 71 million hotdogs that will be consumed. Nothing at all. We’re just saying there’s a pretty awesome reason behind the holiday, which shouldn’t be forgotten. So, this Memorial Day, a bit of advice. We recommend you buy what you need, spend only what you can spare and take at least a moment to remember those that have valiantly, selflessly fought and given the sacrifice of all sacrifices for their country!
