What was the original name of Veterans Day before Congress renamed it in 1954?

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day.

Armistice Day commemorated the armistice that ended the fighting on the Western Front of World War I at the eleventh hour of November 11, 1918. The United States first observed the anniversary in 1919, and Congress made it a federal holiday in 1938.

After World War II and the Korean War, many Americans wanted the holiday to recognize veterans of all U.S. conflicts rather than only the soldiers connected with World War I. Congress therefore changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954.

The older name still appears in historical references and remains the title used in several countries’ remembrance traditions. In the United States, however, the official federal name is Veterans Day, without an apostrophe.