Today marks the 25^th anniversary of the “turkey pardon,” an event in which the President ceremoniously spares a turkey from consumption.  Although the tradition has been attributed to Presidents ranging from Lincoln to Reagan, the first President to implement the event as an annual tradition was George H.W. Bush.  FDSys provides access to authenticated transcripts of the President’s yearly remarks at the event, dating back to 1993, as part of its Compilation of Presidential Documents collection.  To view President Obama’s remarks from the 2013 event, click here.  A transcript of today’s remarks should be available within the next few weeks.

President Eisenhower signing HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

Did you know that Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day?

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Read more about the history of Veterans Day at the VA website.