General Gourard leads the French Army at Marne during WWI.
Today is Armistice Day in France and Veterans Day in the U.S. It is the day World War I, also called The Great War, ended, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year in 1918. It was thought to be the war that would end all wars.
The war began over the assassinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian Empire, and his wife by a Serbian nationalist on June 28, 1914, while they were in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This act set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary made an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. International alliances that had formed over previous decades were invoked, and within weeks, the world’s major powers were at war: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente signed on August 31, 1907 between the Russian Empire, France, and the United Kingdom) against the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Conflict soon spread around the world, and Italy, Japan, Romania and the United States later joined the Allies, and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe holds the remains of a soldier from World War I.
It was also one of the deadliest: although official numbers vary, it is believed that over 18 million people died in the war. France’s casualty rate was approximately 1,737,800, or 4.39% of their population at the time; the U.S. had approximately 117,465 casualties, or 0.13% of the population.
To commemorate the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their respective country’s freedom, November 11 is a holiday under different names in different countries: In France (as well as the U.K., New Zealand, Belgium, and Serbia) it is Armistice Day; although the U.S. initially marked this day as Armistice Day beginning in 1919, in 1954 it was changed to Veterans Day to include those who served in other wars. Being a special holiday in the nation of France, the French government, many businesses and even some restaurants are closed today. In the U.S., it is a government holiday, with government and banks closed. Both countries hold ceremonies to celebrate this important day.
WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Au revoir.
Image of General Gourard leading the French Army at Marne, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. Image of Tomb of Unknown Soldier by Elsa L. Fridl. Image of World War I Memorial by Victoria Belanger, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.
References:
“Armistice Day,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. “Anglo-Russian Entente,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. “Triple Entente,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. “World War I” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. “World War I Casualties,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0.