In November of 1918, American educator Moina Michael was inspired by the battlefront-theme poem "In Flanders Fields" by Canadian John McCrae. The lines "In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses row on row," moved her - and Michael vowed to wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war. And that would begin a tradition that endures to this day - with people from all over the world wearing poppies to commemorate those who have lost so much.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moina_Michael
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6133312.stm
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poppy-Memorial-1948.jpg
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