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.
Instead of drafting young men to fill the ranks, the Army would need to spend money to ramp up recruiting efforts and portray military service as an attractive career choice. By July 1, 1973 -- now 40 years ago -- the draft had been eliminated.