A Century Ago, Two Women Fought to Make the Poppy the National Symbol of Service and Sacrifice

How the red silk lapel flower became the brand of Memorial Day

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As Americans prepare to celebrate Memorial Day weekend, a Harris Poll released earlier this week contained a discouraging finding: Only a little more than half (55%) of us know what Memorial Day is actually about. Some people tend to confuse it with Veterans Day, which is on Nov. 11. (For the record, then: Veterans Day salutes all Americans who’ve served in the U.S. armed forces, but Memorial Day honors those who have died while doing so.)

This weekend, millions of people attending commemorative events are likely to see, on button holes and jacket lapels, a “papaver rhoeas”—or red poppy.

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