Memorial Day trivia

May 29, 2021

In one memorable scene from 'A Few Good Men':

Lt. Sam Weinberg (played by Kevin Pollak) asks: Why do you like them so much?

To which,

Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway (played by Demi Moore) replies: Because they stand on a wall, and say "Nothing is going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch."

There is something to be said about the brave men and women of the Armed Forces that willingly put their lives on the line to protect us. Granted, they are not always sent to fight for the right reasons, but nevertheless they are always ready to pay the ultimate price. It is very important that we don't take their sacrifices lightly. So this Memorial Day, let us take a moment to pay our respects to the brave men and women that gave up their lives in the service of the country. Also, pick up the phone and call that friend, cousin, colleague in the Armed Forces and wish them well.

In this edition, we decided to run this trivia quiz on Memorial Day. Let us know how many you got right. No cheating, okay? :)

  1. Memorial Day was originally known as what?

  2. We now celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday of May. But that was not always the case. What day was it celebrated on before?

  3. Arlington National Cemetery has a special place in the Memorial Day celebrations. Before it became a cemetery, it was a plantation. Who did the plantation belong to?

  4. Today we celebrate Memorial Day in memory of all fallen heroes. But initially, Memorial Day was only for the heroes that gave their lives in one war. Which one?

  5. Here is a tricky one - How should American flags mark Memorial Day?

  6. What is the largest national cemetery? (Hint: It is not Arlington National Cemetery)

  7. Which major sporting event takes place each Memorial Day weekend?

Want to know how you scored? Check these answers:

  1. Decoration Day. For 100 years starting in 1868, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day. Then the federal government named it Memorial Day in 1967.

  2. Memorial Day was originally celebrated on 30th of May. It was move to the the last Monday of May by The Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

  3. Robert E. Lee, to be more precise to his wife Mary Lee. Read the story behind Arlington National Cemetery, it is quite fascinating.

  4. The American Civil War.

  5. At half-staff until noon, then at full staff until sundown.

  6. Calverton National Cemetery in Suffolk County, New York. It has the largest area of any national cemetery in the United States, and is the busiest (in terms of daily burials).

  7. Indianapolis 500, considered by many as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. This was always held in the Memorial Day weekend, except for one year. Can you guess which year? Yes, 2020 because of Covid.

  • Switching gears, it is a very competitive real estate market right now. We were planning to write about How to Buy a Home in this market, but then I came across this really nice guide from New York Times. Check it out if you are planning to buy a home.

  • Earlier this week we spoke to Mark Jones, CEO of Amerifirst Home Mortgage for our podcast. Among other things, he talked about how lenders can unlock value by striving for racial equality. Makes for an interesting perspective. Do listen in.

  • A lot has been written about the migration from big cities to suburbs, which has been going on for a few decades now and has accelerated in the last one year because of Covid. Peter Muoio of Situs AMC wrote this really interesting piece on the migration terns and the opportunities arising out of this migration. Check it out.

  • A few months back, I spoke to Stanley Middleman, CEO of Freedom Mortgage for our podcast. It was such an interesting conversation. Stan recently wrote about how we all coped in 2020 and what 2021 and beyond holds for us. As you can expect from him, it is a very insightful read.

Happy Memorial Day.

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