by: Madison Moench

Over a century has passed since the end of World War 1. To commemorate the armistice that is celebrated every November 11, why not look at the history of this overshadowed war?

On July 28, 1914, the seeds for World War 1 began with the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. But the war truly didn’t start until July 28 when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Gavrilo Princip, from Bosnia (a country ruled by the Austria-Hungary empire), assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This action caused turmoil, with Austria-Hungary blaming Serbia for the assassination.

Of the more than a hundred countries that participated in the war, the main Central Powers were Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The counter to them, the Allies (also known as Entente or Triple Entente), consisted of France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, the United States, and Japan. The war was one of the deadliest conflicts in history as it resulted in a total of 17 million deaths with 8 million casualties consisting of uninvolved citizens. The war also consisted of 23 million wounded people altogether. The war is also associated with trench warfare, artillery, and chemical weapon gas warfare.

Finally, however, on November 11, 1918, after the renouncement of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s throne and several other events shutting down the violence and attacks, the first World War came to an end. The Armistice was signed at the 11th hour of the day.

Every November 11 we celebrate Veterans Day to honor not just the lives who served in World War 1 but to all who have served in the Armed Forces throughout the years.