5 Things to Know Today, May 30

1. Serenity Meadows at 6919 Providence Road, Riverview, invites residents to help honor those who have served this country today starting at 8:30 a.m. There will be special music provided by the Silvertones Senior Adult Choir from First Baptist of Brandon, a flag-folding demonstration by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary of Riverview, a keynote speech by retired Air Force Maj. Kirk Faryniasz and a rifle salute with "Taps," presented by the Marine Corps League of Riverview.

2. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

3. According to www.usmemorialday.org/, more than two dozen cities and towns lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. And it may have its origins when women's groups in the South began decorating graves before the end of the Civil War. However, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

4.  The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the Northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days, until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.

5. It is now celebrated in almost every state on the last Monday in May to ensure a three-day weekend for federal holidays.