Memorial Day was first observed on the last Monday of May under federal law in 1971.
The change came from the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved several federal holidays to Mondays to create more three-day weekends. Congress passed the act in 1968, but its Memorial Day provision took effect in 1971.
Before then, Memorial Day was traditionally observed on May 30, regardless of the day of the week. The Monday schedule made the holiday a movable date, falling between May 25 and May 31.
The shift is sometimes mistakenly dated to 1968 because that is the year the legislation was enacted. The legally significant first Monday observance, however, occurred in 1971. The holiday remains federally known as Memorial Day and honors U.S. military personnel who died while serving.