The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of
Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988,
the law was unanimously amended by both the House and the Senate
and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Thursday, May 5,
1988, designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer
and every president since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer
proclamation.