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“On , a connection to World I” By: Newsela

Sunday is Veterans Day. This annual event often gets overlooked on the calendar in the run-up to Thanksgiving and the December holidays. But this Veterans Day is special. It's the 100th anniversary of the unofficial end of .

The actual wasn't signed until later. However, November 11, 1918 — at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — is when a truce called an (pronounced ARM-iss-tiss) was signed and the fighting stopped.

One year later, President declared November 11 Armistice Day. Other countries did the same, some calling it . In this country, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

World War I was one of history's largest . Most of the fighting was in Europe, but 30-plus countries took part, including the United States. More than 29 million soldiers worldwide died or were wounded, and an estimated 13 million civilians died — a horrific toll that led to it being branded "the war to end all wars."

Each year, a U.S. competition is held to design a poster for Veterans Day. The winning entry appears on pins and on the cover of the program for a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Image 2. Adam Grimm's design won the 2018 Veterans Day poster competition. The theme was "The War to End All Wars." Photo by: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs [click to expand] This year's theme, "The War to End All Wars," drew about 80 entries. Adam Grimm, whose design won, kept it simple. His poster has a large red poppy, the worldwide symbol for remembering World War I; barbed wire to show the brutality of the war; and the pink hue of a rising or setting sun, showing the passage of time. Many Americans confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day, another U.S. holiday related to the . Memorial Day began as Decoration Day in the 1860s following the Civil War. After World War I, its meaning changed. It honors U.S. military who died in any conflict, and it is observed on the last Monday in .

Veterans Day also reflects a new meaning from the original Armistice Day, which honored all who served in World War I, but especially those who died. By 1954, the United States had fought in World War II and the . Lawmakers decided to rename the day to honor all American military, past and present, whether they served in war or peace.

In the 1970s, Veterans Day was observed on the fourth Monday in October so workers could have a three-day weekend. But it was an unpopular change. Many people liked the holiday's connection to the armistice signing. So, since 1978, U.S. veterans have been officially honored on November 11.

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