Armistice, or a cessation of fighting, was declared in Europe as World War I drew to a close on November 11, 1918. Still observed as Armistice Day in many European countries as a way of remembering the victims of all wars, the day is now known as Veterans Day in the U.S., when we salute all our armed servicemen and -women, not just those who have fallen in combat.
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World War I, or “The Great War” was also called the “War to End All Wars,” as those who lived through it could not imagine another global conflict of its scale. WWI claimed the lives of more than 9 million soldiers and another 7 million civilians. Yet little more than 20 years later, war enveloped Europe and soon, much of the rest of the world as World War II began in 1939 and would eventually claim a staggering 60-85 million lives.
