George Washington's Birthday became a Federal holiday in 1880. In 1888 and 1894, respectively, Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) and Labor Day were created. In 1938, Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) was created to mark the end of World War I.
On June 30, 1973, Archie Turner was the last known person drafted into the US Army. Though he did not choose to join the Army, he chose to stay.
Randomization failure: the 1969 draft lottery. During the early part of the Vietnam war, males could be exempt from serving in the military (and being sent to war) by attending college. Eventually this practice was ruled unfair (to people who couldn't afford college), so the college exemption was eliminated.