Originally known as Armistice Day, Veterans Day occurs on November 11 in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 that marked the end of World War I. In 1954, the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Image: Detail from a World War I recruiting poster by Edward G. Renesch, Chicago, Illinois, 1918 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC06134)
On June 2, 2022, our curators discussed D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. They were joined by Professor Michael Neiberg, Chair of War Studies at the US Army War College, who gave an overview of the battle and examined letters illustrating how Americans learned about and reacted to the invasion.
The five lessons in this unit explore how Americans who served in segregated and specialized units during World War II described their enlistment.
This session of Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection explores Gilder Lehrman Collection materials relating to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Listen to how the experiences of World War I nurse Ella Jane Osborn, as recounted in her diary, can be used to learn about the war.
History Now, the online journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, features essays by the nation’s leading historians.
Full Issues
Essays
The Gilder Lehrman Institute has over eighty online exhibitions covering American history from the colonial era to the present day.
Each Spotlight on a document from the Gilder Lehrman Collection provides explanatory text, a transcript, and an image of the featured document.
Developed in conjunction with the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program, these lesson plans are a part of the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Teaching Literacy through History resources.
Book Breaks is a free weekly public program where hosts interview scholars about their new books.
Inside the Vault highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection each month.
