June 6, 2016

On the morning of June 6, 1944, Allied forces staged an enormous assault on German positions on the beaches of Normandy, France during World War II. The invasion is often known by the famous nickname "D-Day," yet few people know the origin of the term or what, if anything, the "D" stands for. According to the U.S. military, "D-Day" was an Army designation used to indicate the start date for specific field operations. In this case, the "D" in D-Day doesn’t actually stand for anything—it’s merely an alliterative placeholder used to designate a particular day on the calendar. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.