1868: Year it was first widely observed, as “Decoration Day”

5,000: Number of participants in the first observance at Arlington National Cemetery

20,000: Number of soldiers’ graves the participants decorated that day

3 p.m.: Time of the “National Moment of Remembrance” on each Memorial Day, as declared by the White House in 2000

Sources: www.history.com, www.usmemorialday.org