Today is Veterans Days, which celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. The federal holiday originally was called Armistice Day, marking the anniversary of World War I when the Armistice with Germany went into effect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Congress amended the bill on June 1, 1954, replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans” to honor all United States Armed Forces veterans and it has been known as Veterans Day since.
Today is also the 75th anniversary of the Armistice Day Blizzard (before the holiday was called Veterans Day) which impacted the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. The morning of November 11, 1940 brought with it unseasonably high temperatures so many duck hunter took advantage of the nice day. When the weather turned quickly, most of the hunters were not prepared for the snowfalls of up to 27 inches, winds of 50 to 80 mph, 20-foot snow drifts and the temperature drop of 50 degrees and many froze to death. A total of 145 deaths were blamed on the storm, which included crew from three freighters on Lake Michigan.
Today a strong Veterans Day storm is impacting the same area, 75 years later, but at least there is improved weather forecasting and the nearly two inches of precipitation will be in the form of rain and not two feet of snow.
Remembering Our Veterans
