November 11th was originally called "Armistice Day" because...at 11:00 AM, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month...in 1918, the First World War came to an end.
It was called "The War to End All Wars" because the carnage and brutality made all previous wars pale in comparison. 9 million soldiers died, and 21 million were wounded.
The best estimate is that there are, perhaps, 30 World War I veterans who are still alive in the United States...and 150 survivors worldwide. Originally, 65 million men and women, from both sides, were called up to fight the war.
In France, 14 men of the who fought in the"La Guerre Grande", are still with us. Upon the funeral of the last French veteran, the country plans a "solemn national homage" to honor the sacrifice of the 8.5 million French soldiers who fought for their country.
In Germany, no World War I veterans remain. Charles Kuentz, the last remaining soldier, died in April of this year at the age of 108. He had refused to talk about any of his war remembrances for much of his life. However, at the age of 100, he began to finally speak. He spent the last years of his life talking to schools about his experiences, and promoting peace. Of the 11 million men who fought for Imperial Germany, 1,773,700 perished.
In the United States, 4,743,826 enlisted for the war. 116,608 died. Currently, there are no national memorials in Washington D.C. that commemorate the dead from the WWI.
At the conclusion of WWI, many people were so sick of war that they hoped no war would ever break out again. The philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "All this madness, all this rage, all this flaming death of our civilization and our hopes, has been brought about because a set of official gentlemen, living luxurious lives, mostly stupid, and all without imagination or heart, have chosen that it should occur rather than that of any one of them should suffer some infinitesimal rebuff to his country's pride."
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