Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day. On 
November 11, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson issued a
message to his countrymen on the first Armistice Day, in
which he expressed what he felt the day meant to all
Americans. Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day
in 1954.

Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, a U.S. public
holiday in May: Veterans Day commemorates the service
of all U.S. veterans, while Memorial Day specifically honors
those who have died while in military service.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson
(December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924)