

In the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand, observers wear the red flowers on Nov. Wearing a poppy has become a symbol of remembering the soldiers lost during World War I all over the world, but the timing differs slightly depending on where you live. Getty Images When to wear them depends on where you live national emblem of remembrance on September 27, 1920. Soon after, the National American Legion followed suit and the little red flower officially became the U.S. In 1920, she convinced Georgia’s chapter of the American Legion to recognize the poppy as a symbol. She also lobbied to make the red poppy a national memorial symbol, so others could do the same. After the war ended, she decided to craft and sell red silk poppies to raise money to support the returning veterans. Michael found her first fabric poppies at a local department store, where she bought a handful for herself and to pass out to her colleagues.

That's where Moina Michael, a professor at the University of Georgia, first came across “In Flanders Field.” Unable to get it out of her mind, she vowed to always wear a red poppy in remembrance of those who were lost at that battle. Mourners read it at countless memorial services, used it in efforts to recruit soldiers and reprinted it in countless publications, including Ladies Home Journal. McCrae’s poem, published in London’s Punch magazine in December 1915, was an instant success. Getty Images In the U.S., a professor made them a memorial Told from the perspective of the fallen soldiers buried beneath the poppies, it honored the troops who lost their lives in that conflict: Overcome with sorrow, he wrote the poem “In Flanders Field” to channel his grief. Soon after, a huge battle tore through the area, killing 87,000 allied soldiers, including one of McCrae’s closest friends. He noticed a cluster of poppies blanketing Flanders Field in Belgium that spring, where he was serving as a brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit.

Today, over 90% of people killed in warfare are civilians. It includes both civilians and members of armed forces.

This includes people of all nationalities. White poppies recall all victims of all wars, including victims of wars that are still being fought.
