It was first known as Armistice Day, celebrated on November 11 because that was the day agreed upon by the Allied nations and Germany to begin a total cessation of hostilities. It went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, after some 20 million people from both sides had given their lives in the war effort. After World War II and the Korean War, President Eisenhower changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day in June 1954, so as to make November 11 “a day to honor American veterans of all wars.”
