Memorial Day is about more than going out boats and grilling out. The day actually has a long history dating back to the Civil War.
The U.S. Department of Veterans website says a few years after the end of the Civil War, May 30th was established as “Decoration Day.” It was initially a day to decorate veterans graves with flowers.
Then, in 1971 Memorial Day was officially declared a national holiday and placed on the last Monday in May.
In December 2000, the president signed into law the national Moment of Remembrance act, encouraging all Americans to pause for a minute of silence at 3 pm local time to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.