1 of 1
Seven Stats and Facts About Memorial Day
We're gearing up for a big weekend. Here are seven interesting stats about Memorial Day . . .
1. 25 cities around the country CLAIM to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. But the first state that officially recognized it as a holiday was New York in 1873.
2. 75% of us will go to a barbecue this weekend. It's the second most-popular holiday for grilling. Fourth of July is first.
3. Between now and Labor Day, Americans will eat about 7 BILLION hot dogs. That's 818 hot dogs every second.
4. 39.3 million Americans are traveling this weekend, up about 3% from last year. 88% are driving to their destination. Orlando is the most popular place to go.
5. 41% of us expect to buy something this weekend at a Memorial Day sale.
6. Be careful out there: There's a 25% bump in cooking-related fires on Memorial Day. About 50,000 people will be injured in car accidents this weekend. And 44% of traffic fatalities will involve alcohol.
7. 42 million veterans have served in war time. And a total of 1.3 million Americans have lost their lives defending the United States. That's an important stat since remembering THEM is what Memorial Day is really about.
Originally posted on May 26th, 2017