HISTORY MOMENTS The Idaho State Historical Society reports that during this week in history: World War I ended on November 11, 1918, with the signing of the armistice agreement between the Allies and Germany in Compiegne, France. "Armistice Day" became a United States national holiday in 1938—a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I. In 1954, November 11th became known as Veterans Day—a day to honor American veterans of all wars. The November 15, 1918, issue of The Fruitland Banner reported, "The state board of health has announced that the quarantine (Spanish Influenza) will be lifted at 1 o'clock a.m. Sunday, November 24. The schools of the state have been closed since October 21 and will open Monday the 25th, more than a month. Public assemblages have been forbidden since October 10. This action by the state board indicates that the influenza epidemic is about run its course." The flu epidemic of 1918-1919 killed over 20 million worldwide, more than 500,000 in the United States. Ellis Island, the U.S. immigration processing center located in New York Harbor, closed on November 12, 1954. Since opening in 1892, the center had processed more than 20 million immigrants.