Memorial Day
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136 free Memorial Day trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
50 free Memorial Day trivia questions with answers. Memorial Day is more than the unofficial start of summer. It is a day to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States Armed Forces. From its origins as Decoration Day after the Civil War to the iconic traditions at Arlington National Cemetery, this quiz covers the history, symbols, and culture of one of Americas most solemn holidays.
30 of 136 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which president spoke at the 1913 Gettysburg reunion of Union and Confederate veterans?
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson told the old soldiers of both armies on July 4, 1913: 'We have found one another again as brothers and comrades in arms, enemies no longer.'
Q 02A May 2000 Gallup poll found that what share of Americans knew the true meaning of Memorial Day?
28%
28% gave the exact answer in Gallup's survey, that the day honors those who died in war; another 40% said it was for veterans in general, the holiday's most common mix-up.
Q 03Between April and September, how often is the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?
Every half-hour
The guard changes every half-hour from April 1 through September 30, hourly from October through March, and every two hours overnight while Arlington is closed to visitors.
Q 04Which US state was the first to make Memorial Day an official state holiday, in 1873?
New York
New York made the day a legal state holiday in 1873 and other Northern states followed, while Southern states went on honoring their Confederate dead on separate days.
Q 05What was Memorial Day originally called?
Decoration Day
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, because mourners would decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.
Q 06Which US holiday honors all who served in the military, living or dead?
Veterans Day
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I on November 11, 1918; it was renamed in 1954 to honor American veterans of all wars.
Q 07What is the famous national cemetery in Virginia where many fallen soldiers are buried?
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, is the most well-known military cemetery in the U.S. and hosts major Memorial Day ceremonies each year.
Q 08Memorial Day weekend is often considered the unofficial start of what season?
Summer
Memorial Day weekend is widely considered the unofficial start of summer in the United States, marking the beginning of vacation season, outdoor activities, and pool openings.
Q 09What war originally gave rise to the tradition that became Memorial Day?
The Civil War
The Civil War killed more Americans than any other conflict, so many that the country created its first national cemeteries; decorating those graves each spring grew into the holiday.
Q 10At what hour are Americans asked to pause for the National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day?
3:00 PM local
3:00 PM local time was picked as an hour when most Americans are enjoying the holiday; the idea began in 1996, after children touring Washington said Memorial Day was the day the pools open.
Q 11Into what shape is the US flag folded before it is handed to the family at a military funeral?
A triangle
A triangle is the finished shape, with only the blue field of stars showing; the folded flag is said to recall the cocked hats worn by soldiers of the American Revolution.
Q 12On Memorial Day, US flags fly at half-staff only until what time, when they are raised to the top?
Noon
Noon ends the mourning: the flag is first run briskly to the top, lowered to half-staff for the morning, then raised to full height for the rest of the day.
Q 13What major auto race is traditionally held on Memorial Day weekend?
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500 was first run in 1911, when winner Ray Harroun fitted what is often called racing's first rear-view mirror instead of carrying a riding mechanic.
Q 21Which Grand Army of the Republic commander issued General Order No. 11, calling for a day to decorate soldiers' graves?
John A. Logan
John A. Logan, a wartime general turned congressman, issued the order on May 5, 1868; weeks later about 5,000 people decorated some 20,000 soldiers' graves at Arlington.
Q 22Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier contains unidentified remains from how many wars?
Three
Three unknowns rest there: the World War I unknown interred in 1921 and the World War II and Korean War unknowns added in 1958; the Vietnam crypt, filled in 1984, has been empty since 1998.
Q 23Nearly 13,000 Union prisoners died at which Confederate prison camp in Georgia, now a national cemetery?
Andersonville
Q 14Which term, dating to the service flags of World War I, describes families who have lost a member in military service?
Gold Star
Gold Star families take the name from the gold stars on service flags; in 1929 Congress funded pilgrimages that carried thousands of mothers and widows to their men's graves in Europe.
Q 15Which U.S. president signed the 1968 act moving Memorial Day to the last Monday in May?
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in June 1968 to give federal workers more long weekends; the change took effect in 1971.
Q 16The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, completed in 1982 and later joined by the Three Servicemen statue, is commonly called what?
The Wall
The Wall's two black granite walls were completed in 1982 and later joined by the Three Servicemen statue in 1984 and the Vietnam Women's Memorial in 1993.
Q 17Which 1915 poem by Canadian physician John McCrae inspired the remembrance poppy, worn on Memorial Day?
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields was written on May 3, 1915, after McCrae presided over the funeral of a friend killed at the Second Battle of Ypres; Moina Michael promoted the poppy it inspired.
Q 18Which decoration outranks every other in the US military?
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is presented by the president in the name of Congress, which is why it is often miscalled the Congressional Medal of Honor; it rewards valor 'above and beyond the call of duty'.
Q 19Which National Mall memorial features 19 stainless steel statues of soldiers on patrol?
Korean War Veterans
The Korean War Veterans Memorial's 19 steel soldiers reflect in a polished granite wall, appearing as 38 figures, a nod to the 38th parallel that divided Korea.
Q 20On what date was Memorial Day originally observed before the Uniform Monday Holiday Act?
May 30
Memorial Day was observed on May 30 from the first national observance until 1970, reportedly because that date was no battle's anniversary; the last-Monday observance began in 1971.
Andersonville held about 45,000 prisoners over the war; a death list secretly kept by prisoner Dorence Atwater later let the graves of some 13,000 men be marked by name.
Q 24Who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.?
Maya Lin
Maya Lin was a 21-year-old Yale architecture student when her design won the open national competition, in which entries were judged by number, without names.
Q 25What does a Blue Star on a service flag signify?
A family member currently serving
A family member currently serving is what each blue star stands for; the white banner with a red border hangs in the family's window while that person is in uniform in wartime.
Q 26What do the World War II Memorial's 56 granite pillars represent?
States and territories
States and territories of the 1940s each have one, 48 states, seven territories and the District of Columbia, and the states stand in the order they joined the Union, alternating from side to side.
Q 27Which town was declared the 'official' birthplace of Memorial Day by a 1966 presidential proclamation?
Waterloo, New York
Waterloo, New York was honored for a village-wide observance on May 5, 1866, when businesses closed and residents decorated soldiers' graves; other towns still dispute the title.
Q 28Roughly how many names are inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.?
About 58,000
About 58,000 names are on the memorial: 57,939 when it was dedicated in 1982, with several hundred added since.
Q 29France laid its Unknown Soldier of World War I to rest beneath which Paris monument?
The Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe received him on 11 November 1920, the same day Britain buried its own unknown; an eternal flame added in 1923 is rekindled every evening at 6:30.
Q 30The Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington depicts a wartime flag raising on which Pacific island?
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi is where six Marines raised the flag on February 23, 1945; sculptor Felix de Weldon modeled the scene the weekend he first saw the photograph.