Today in History: Memorial Day
Today in History–May 30–the Library of Congress features Memorial Day, first celebrated on this day in 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery, where both Confederate and Union soldiers were buried. Learn more about this national day of observance celebrating those who died in defense of the United States by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access more related primary sources.
Featured Image: Memorial Day (from Puck magazine)
Featured Image: Memorial Day, Honor the Brave
The Blue and the Grey: A Memorial Day Poem (audio)
Vision of War: Memorial Day speech (audio)
Memorial Day – Its Origin The Jasper News (Jasper, Mo.), 29 May 1919
More Memorial Day historical newspaper coverage
Library of Congress Memorial Day blog posts
- Exploring Memorial Day Traditions with Primary Sources Teaching with the Library
- From Decoration Day to Memorial Day Picture This
- Memorial Day In the Muse
- Memorial Day, 2011 In Custodia Legis
- Memorial Day and Our Oldest Vets Timeless Stories from the Library
- Memorial Day Past and Present: Commemorating with Collections Minerva’s Kaleidoscope
- Memorial Day’s Rolling Thunder Inside Adams
- Memorials: Ways We Remember and Honor Teaching with the Library
- Remembering Our Honored Dead: Memorial Day Traditions Teaching with the Library