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88 Veterans Day Trivia Questions and Answers

Reviewed by Aleesha Rubinstein, Editor·Updated Oct 2026·11 min read

88 Veterans Day trivia questions with answers, from the 1918 armistice and the renaming of Armistice Day to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the six military branches and the medals they award.

Featured Image of Veterans Day Trivia. Credit: Arlington National Cemetery, Public domain , via Wikimedia Commons

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, marking the moment the guns fell silent at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. Congress renamed it in 1954 so that it would honor everyone who has served, not only the soldiers of World War I, and after a brief experiment with a Monday holiday in the 1970s it went back to November 11 for good. Unlike Memorial Day, which remembers those who died in service, Veterans Day is mainly a thank-you to the people who served and came home.

Below are 88 questions with every answer revealed. They start with the basics anyone can answer at a school assembly or a family dinner, then work through the history of the holiday, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington, the six branches of the armed forces, the medals and memorials, and finish with the questions that will stump even the history buffs. Every fact was checked against the Department of Veterans Affairs, Arlington National Cemetery and other official sources.

Running a quiz for a classroom, a senior center or a veterans' group? Read the question, give everyone a moment, then read the answer. The multiple-choice options on each question make it easy to play with younger students, and the harder questions work well as a final round.

  1. 1On what date is Veterans Day observed each year in the United States?

  2. 2Before 1954, what was Veterans Day called?

  3. 3The original November 11 holiday marked the end of the fighting in which war?

  4. 4At what time of day did the World War I armistice take effect on November 11, 1918?

  5. 5Which president signed the 1954 law that renamed Armistice Day as Veterans Day?

  6. 6Which spelling does the Department of Veterans Affairs say is correct?

  7. 7Which holiday is set aside specifically to honor service members who died in military service?

  8. 8Veterans Day is largely meant to thank which group?

  9. 9On which day of the week does Veterans Day fall in 2026?

  10. 10At which cemetery is the National Veterans Day Ceremony held?

  11. 11Arlington National Cemetery is in which state?

  12. 12Complete the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier's inscription: "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to ___."

  13. 13Which military branch celebrates its birthday on November 10, the day before Veterans Day?

  14. 14Which is the newest branch of the U.S. armed forces, established on December 20, 2019?

  15. 15How many branches make up the U.S. armed forces today?

  16. 16What is the nation's highest military decoration for valor?

  17. 17Which Washington, D.C. memorial is widely known simply as "The Wall"?

  18. 18What nickname was given to American soldiers who served in World War I?

  19. 19The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 is better known by what name?

  20. 20What are members of the U.S. Space Force called?

  21. 21In what year did the United States enter World War I?

  22. 22Which president proclaimed the first commemoration of Armistice Day in November 1919?

  23. 23Which treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, officially ended World War I?

  24. 24In what year did a federal law make November 11 a legal holiday called Armistice Day?

  25. 25In what year was Armistice Day renamed Veterans Day?

  26. 26Which president signed the 1975 law that returned Veterans Day to November 11?

  27. 27When November 11 falls on a Saturday, which day do federal employees get off?

  28. 28Which red flower, worn in the U.S. mainly on Memorial Day, traces its symbolism to the poem "In Flanders Fields"?

  29. 29Who wrote the 1915 poem "In Flanders Fields"?

  30. 30What do Canada and Australia call their November 11 observance?

  31. 31In what year was the World War I Unknown Soldier buried at Arlington?

  32. 32Which president spoke at the 1921 burial of the Unknown Soldier and placed the Medal of Honor on the casket?

  33. 33Where did the World War I Unknown Soldier lie in state before burial?

  34. 34How many steps does a Tomb Guard march along the mat before turning?

  35. 35The Tomb Guards' number 21 stands for which military honor?

  36. 36Which Army regiment, nicknamed "The Old Guard," guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?

  37. 37Unknowns from which two wars were added to the Tomb in 1958?

  38. 38Which branch is the oldest, tracing its birthday to June 14, 1775?

  39. 39Which branch traces its origins to a fleet of revenue cutters authorized on August 4, 1790?

  40. 40In what year did the Air Force become a separate branch of the military?

  41. 41In peacetime, the Coast Guard is part of which federal department?

  42. 42Which decoration, the oldest still awarded to U.S. service members, began as George Washington's Badge of Military Merit in 1782?

  43. 43The Purple Heart is awarded to service members who were what?

  44. 44The Purple Heart was revived in 1932 to mark the 200th birthday of which American?

  45. 45Who is the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor?

  46. 46Who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.?

  47. 47Roughly how many names are inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

  48. 48Who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I?

  49. 49Which president signed the G.I. Bill into law on June 22, 1944?

  50. 50In what year did the VA become a Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs?

  51. 51Complete the line from Lincoln's second inaugural address that long served as the VA's motto: "To care for him who shall have borne the ___."

  52. 52According to the Census Bureau, about how many military veterans lived in the U.S. in 2024?

  53. 53In which World War II theater did the Navajo Code Talkers send their coded messages?

  54. 54The Tuskegee Airmen of the 332nd Fighter Group were nicknamed for the paint on their planes. What was the nickname?

  55. 55The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. history, was made up mainly of which soldiers?

  56. 56Armed Forces Day is held on which day each year?

  57. 57How many notes are in the bugle call "Taps"?

  58. 58Which institution runs the Veterans History Project, which collects veterans' first-hand stories?

  59. 59What does the VA distribute each September to schools and veterans groups to promote Veterans Day?

  60. 60About how many Americans served in World War II?

  61. 61In what year did Congress pass a resolution asking the president to proclaim an annual November 11 observance?

  62. 62According to Congress's 1926 resolution, how many state legislatures had already made November 11 a legal holiday?

  63. 63Congressman Edwin K. Rees, who introduced the bill to rename Armistice Day, represented which state?

  64. 64Shoe-store owner Alvin King pushed for an "All Veterans Day" in 1953 in which Kansas town?

  65. 65World War II veteran Raymond Weeks organized a 1947 "National Veterans Day" in which city?

  66. 66Which 1968 law moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October?

  67. 67On what date in 1971 was the first Monday-holiday Veterans Day observed?

  68. 68Beginning in what year did Veterans Day return to November 11?

  69. 69On what date in 1954 did Eisenhower issue the first Veterans Day Proclamation?

  70. 70Today, which official chairs the Veterans Day National Committee?

  71. 71Which sergeant chose the World War I Unknown Soldier by placing white roses on a casket?

  72. 72In which French town was the World War I Unknown Soldier selected in October 1921?

  73. 73Which ship carried the World War I Unknown Soldier home to Washington?

  74. 74Since what year have guards stood watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day?

  75. 75DNA testing in 1998 identified the Vietnam War Unknown as which Air Force pilot?

  76. 76Who was the last surviving American veteran of World War I when he died in 2011 at age 110?

  77. 77About how many Americans served in World War I?

  78. 78Which president created the Veterans Administration by executive order in 1930?

  79. 79Which president signed the 1988 bill that made the VA a Cabinet-level department?

  80. 80Each of the 4,048 gold stars on the National World War II Memorial's Freedom Wall represents about how many American deaths?

  81. 81In what year was the National World War II Memorial dedicated?

  82. 82How many stainless steel statues make up the patrol at the Korean War Veterans Memorial?

  83. 83Which Union general is credited with composing "Taps" in 1862?

  84. 84In what year did Congress create the Veterans History Project?

  85. 85Which date is National Vietnam War Veterans Day?

  86. 86President Reagan designated which date in 1982 as National Navajo Code Talkers Day?

  87. 87Roughly what share of U.S. veterans were women in 2024?

  88. 88Veterans of which service era made up the largest share of living U.S. veterans in 2024?

Answer Key

  1. 1. November 11
  2. 2. Armistice Day
  3. 3. World War I
  4. 4. 11 a.m. (the eleventh hour)
  5. 5. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  6. 6. Veterans Day
  7. 7. Memorial Day
  8. 8. All who served honorably, especially living veterans
  9. 9. Wednesday
  10. 10. Arlington National Cemetery
  11. 11. Virginia
  12. 12. God
  13. 13. U.S. Marine Corps
  14. 14. U.S. Space Force
  15. 15. Six
  16. 16. Medal of Honor
  17. 17. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  18. 18. Doughboys
  19. 19. The G.I. Bill
  20. 20. Guardians
  21. 21. 1917
  22. 22. Woodrow Wilson
  23. 23. Treaty of Versailles
  24. 24. 1938
  25. 25. 1954
  26. 26. Gerald Ford
  27. 27. The Friday before
  28. 28. The poppy
  29. 29. John McCrae
  30. 30. Remembrance Day
  31. 31. 1921
  32. 32. Warren G. Harding
  33. 33. The U.S. Capitol Rotunda
  34. 34. 21
  35. 35. The 21-gun salute
  36. 36. 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment
  37. 37. World War II and the Korean War
  38. 38. U.S. Army
  39. 39. U.S. Coast Guard
  40. 40. 1947
  41. 41. Department of Homeland Security
  42. 42. Purple Heart
  43. 43. Wounded or killed by enemy action
  44. 44. George Washington
  45. 45. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker
  46. 46. Maya Lin
  47. 47. More than 58,000
  48. 48. Gen. John J. Pershing
  49. 49. Franklin D. Roosevelt
  50. 50. 1989
  51. 51. battle
  52. 52. About 15.7 million
  53. 53. The Pacific
  54. 54. Red Tails
  55. 55. Japanese Americans
  56. 56. The third Saturday in May
  57. 57. 24
  58. 58. The Library of Congress
  59. 59. A Veterans Day poster
  60. 60. More than 16 million
  61. 61. 1926
  62. 62. 27
  63. 63. Kansas
  64. 64. Emporia
  65. 65. Birmingham, Alabama
  66. 66. The Uniform Holiday Bill
  67. 67. October 25
  68. 68. 1978
  69. 69. October 8
  70. 70. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  71. 71. Sgt. Edward F. Younger
  72. 72. Châlons-sur-Marne
  73. 73. USS Olympia
  74. 74. 1937
  75. 75. 1st Lt. Michael Blassie
  76. 76. Frank Buckles
  77. 77. About 4.7 million
  78. 78. Herbert Hoover
  79. 79. Ronald Reagan
  80. 80. About 100
  81. 81. 2004
  82. 82. 19
  83. 83. Gen. Daniel Butterfield
  84. 84. 2000
  85. 85. March 29
  86. 86. August 14
  87. 87. About 11%
  88. 88. The Vietnam War era

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