When is Veterans Day?
Answer
November 11
Explanation
Veterans Day in the United States is observed on November 11 every year, regardless of the day of the week on which that date falls. When November 11 falls on a Sunday, federal observance is on Monday, November 12; when it falls on a Saturday, federal observance is on Friday, November 10.
The date marks the anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in World War I, which took effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when Allied and German representatives signed an armistice in a railway carriage in the Compiègne Forest of France. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day on November 11, 1919, and Congress made November 11 a federal holiday with the Armistice Day Act of May 13, 1938 (52 Stat. 351), to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as Armistice Day.
After World War II and the Korean War, Congress amended the law on June 1, 1954 (Public Law 83-380) to change the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day and broaden its purpose to honor American veterans of all wars, living and dead. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 briefly moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October, beginning in 1971, but the change was unpopular with veterans organizations and many states. Public Law 94-97, signed by President Gerald Ford on September 20, 1975, restored Veterans Day to its traditional November 11 date beginning in 1978.
Veterans Day is now codified at 5 U.S.C. section 6103. The day is one of two principal military observances on the federal calendar (Memorial Day in May is the other) and is distinguished from Memorial Day in that Veterans Day honors all who served (about 17 million living American veterans, plus all who served in the past), while Memorial Day specifically honors those who died in service.
Customary observances include the laying of a presidential wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery at 11 a.m., parades in many cities (the New York City Veterans Day Parade is the largest in the country), special ceremonies at military bases, free meals offered to veterans at many restaurants and businesses, and the flying of the U.S. flag at full staff.
Why this matters for your test
Knowing the date of Veterans Day allows applicants to recognize a major federal holiday with broad public observance and to participate in ceremonies honoring veterans. The fixed November 11 date is a deliberate link to the end of World War I and the country's commitment to remembering those who served.
Source: USCIS 128 Civics Questions (2025)
