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On this day, May 30, 1963, JFK made what would become his final Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
It was not until 1971 that the observance of Memorial Day was fixed on the last Monday in May. Until that year, it was observed on May 30, no matter what day of the week that was.
The name "Memorial Day", which was first attested in 1882, gradually became more common than "Decoration Day" after World War II but was not declared the official name by federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.
In 1963, May 30th fell on a Thursday, so that was the day that Kennedy traveled across the Potomac River to lay a wreath at Arlington.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_30
• 1868 – Decoration Day {the predecessor of the modern "Memorial Day"} is observed in the United States for the first time after a proclamation by John A. Logan, head of the Grand Army of the Republic (a veterans group).
https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/jfkwhp-1963-05-30-c#?image_identifier=JFKWHP-AR7951-D
US Coast Guard veteran who lost arm in World War II salutes President Lincoln:
JFK at Arlington National Cemetery for what would become his final Memorial Day 1963, standing close to where he now lies buried--{sixty-one} years ago:
Link to tweet
Sat May 27, 2023: JFK at Arlington National Cemetery for what would become his final Memorial Day, May 30, 1963
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