Sunday, November 11, 2018

Today is Armistice Day/Veterans Day

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice started.  This armistice ended what was (until that time), the deadliest war known to man.  It was also called "the war to end all wars".  In it's aftermath, a group called the "League of Nations" was formed in order to facilitate negotiation between nations in order to avoid conflicts like that in the future.
Many people consider World War I to be the first industrial war but there are some historians that give the US Civil War that distinction.  However, World War I introduced some other horrors that were previously unknown.  It was the first war where poison gas was used against troops.  It also saw the first use of the tank and airplane.  It was also the first war where the submarine was used in an unrestricted fashion against civilian merchant ships.
By the time the war has finished, it is estimated that 10 million military members died from various war related causes.  It is also estimated that another 20 million civilians died from various war related causes (including the influenza outbreak).  It was also the first war to see the aerial attack of civilian populations.
This is a picture I took at the Marine Museum years ago.  I really liked the effect.
The first Armistice Day was celebrated on November 11, 1919 to commemorate the one year anniversary of the end of World War I.  In the United States, this has become Veterans Day.
It would be nice if some people would use this day to take pause and look at the devastation wrought by World War I.  Especially when you consider that some view World War II as continuation of it.

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