When is Memorial Day 2017?
We are only a few days away from the special holiday, which is celebrated on the last Monday of May. This year’s holiday will be on May 29.
The first Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30, 1868, as a secular, patriotic ceremony in honor of the fallen soldiers from both the Confederacy and the Union in the Civil War. It was then known as Decoration Day as ceremonies centering on the decoration of soldiers’ graves were held in towns and cities throughout the reunited nation.
In 1971, the holiday was extended to all deceased veterans. It is also the unofficial beginning of the summer.
For retailers, it is a turning point in the sales year. According to USA Today, the best Memorial Day sales this year are on home appliances.
AAA forecasts that 39.3 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles over this year’s holiday weekend, the most since 2005, a sign of the ongoing economic recovery. Of that number, an estimated 34.6 million, or 88 percent, will be driving. However, your chances of getting into a drunk driving accident are higher. About 40% of all accidents that have happened on Memorial Day weekend between 2011 and 2015 included a drunk driver, according to Value Penguin.
The Energy Information Administration said last week that the nationwide average price of a gallon of regular gas is $2.48.
