VOA · Arts & Culture
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed5:122024-11-07public domain
The Arts & Culture beat covers music, film, museums, food, and traditions from the United States and around the world. The reports are short, vivid, and full of everyday descriptive language — great for learners who want vocabulary beyond textbooks.
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01World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in France on June 28, 1919.
02However, fighting had stopped seven months earlier with an armistice, or an agreement to stop fighting, between the Allied nations and Germany on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
03The date, November 11, is now remembered as Veterans Day, a holiday to thank and honor all who served in the United States military.
04The celebration first started on November 11, 1919, as Armistice Day.
05At the time, U.S.
06President Woodrow Wilson said the day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory.
07The U.S.
08Department of Veterans Affairs says there were plans to observe the day with parades, public meetings, and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m.
09In 1926, the U.S.
10Congress officially recognized November 11, 1918 as the end of World War I, and in 1938 the body passed legislation to make the eleventh of November, in each year, a legal holiday.
11known as Armistice Day, it was a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I.
12After American involvement in World War II and the Korean War, at the urging of veterans organizations, Congress changed the law in 1954 to call it Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars.
13The date for Veterans Day was changed in 1968 with the signing of the Uniform Holiday Act.
14With the law, Congress intended to create a three-day weekend for Americans by moving the holiday to a Monday in November.
15Many states and veterans organizations did not agree with this decision.
16They continued to celebrate the holiday on November 11, leading to confusion.
17So, Congress returned the holiday to its original date.
18Many Americans are confused about Veterans Day and Memorial Day, the other holiday honoring military service, which is observed on the last Monday in May.
19The U.S.
20Department of Veterans Affairs says that both holidays were established to recognize and honor the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces.
21Memorial Day is set aside as a day for remembering and honoring those who died in the service of their country.
22For most Americans, it also marks the unofficial start of summer and a popular weekend for vacationing.
23Veterans Day is largely intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military, living or dead, and in wartime or peace.
24To ensure that people remember Veterans Day, the U.S.
25Congress passed, and President Barack Obama signed, the Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act in 2016.
26The law called on the people of the United States to observe a two-minute national moment of silence on Veterans Day at 2.11 p.m.
27Eastern Standard Time across all states and territories of the United States.
28I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
29I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
30I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
31I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
32I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
33I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
34I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
35I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
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