Memorial Day Honored by Dedicated History.com Interactive Web Site

Memorial Day Honored by Dedicated History.com Interactive Web Site

Web Site Designed to Educate Users on America's Battles and the Sacrifices of Our Soldiers

NEW YORK, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- May 28th marks one of America's most reflective holidays - Memorial Day is a time for acknowledgement and remembrance of the veterans who have put their lives on the line for our country. History.com, the online destination for The History Channel(R), is honoring Memorial Day with a dedicated interactive Web site at: http://www.history.com/minisites/memorial/.

History.com's Memorial Day site includes videos, battle maps, interesting facts, timelines and a veteran's forum for users to explore and learn more about this important day. From the American Revolution in 1775 to the Iraq war today, American soldiers have fought bravely in twelve major battles at home and abroad. More than 1.4 million American soldiers have lost their lives during these conflicts.

"A large part of our nation's history is tied to the battles that we have fought, and the men and women who have fought them," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, chief historian for The History Channel. "As we commemorate Memorial Day, it is important to not just celebrate a day off from work, but to remember the significance behind it."

Visitors to the Memorial Day Web site will learn important facts, including:

-- Decoration Day: Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day
because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by
decorating their graves.
-- Arlington Cemetery: During the first celebration of Decoration Day,
General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery:
5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than
20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.
-- Memorial Day Birthplace: In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared
Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose
Waterloo because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-
wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the
graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
-- Civil War: More than half of our nation's war casualties are from the
Civil War.
-- World War II: The number of U.S. armed forces personnel who served in
World War II was 16.1 million.* 5.7 million World War II veterans were
counted in the 2000 Census.

Moving the history of our past into the digital age, History.com also pays tribute to the experiences of our active military with its recently announced "Band of Bloggers." This new destination Web site launching in August will collect raw and riveting "soldier generated content" from an ever-expanding band of military bloggers who use the Internet, digital cameras and cell phones to deliver honest, powerful and uncensored news from the battlefield. Anchoring the site will be frequent video posts from dedicated bloggers offering exclusive updates for History.com.

About History.com

History.com is the definitive historical online resource that delivers entertaining and informative content through interactive timelines; video; maps; games; podcasts and RSS feeds. History.com delivers thousands of video streams, from presidential speeches, to UFO sightings, to D-Day, the award- winning site will showcase newly created video clips daily. Web exclusive broadband video content has been developed from popular series and specials on The History Channel including Modern Marvels, Digging for the Truth, and Lost Worlds. Search through History.com which provides access to an extraordinary amount of historical information with unprecedented speed. In addition, an online classroom will supply educational resources including study guides and lesson plans for teachers. The website is located at http://www.history.com/.

About The History Channel(R)

The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 91 million Nielsen subscribers.

* Served between Dec. 1, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: History.com

CONTACT: Stephanie Pettinati of Zeno Group, +1-415-369-8115, or
stephanie.pettinati@zenogroup.com, for History.com

Web site:

http://www.history.com/minisites/memorial
http://www.history.com/

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