The Facts And Figures Of Memorial Day

(CBSDFW.COM) - We hope you're gearing up for a nice Memorial Day.

Here are some facts and figures about the unofficial start to summer!

Twenty-five cities around the country claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.

But the first state that officially recognized it as a holiday was New York in 1873.

New Yorkers have welcomed U.S. sailors to town during Fleet Week since 1984.

Seventy-five percent of us will go to a barbecue this weekend. It's the second most-popular holiday for grilling.  The Fourth of July is first.

Between now and Labor Day, Americans will eat about 7 billion hot dogs!

That's 818 hot dogs every second! 39.3 million Americans are expected to travel this weekend.

Eighty-eight percent are driving to their destination.

Forty-two million veterans have served in war time.

A total of 1.3 million Americans have lost their lives defending the United States.

That's the important fact since remembering them is what Memorial Day is really about.