Armistice Day - 100 years ago...

[Maniakkid25]

At the 11th hour of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in the year 1918, an Armistice was finally called between the Entente and what was left of the Central Powers. This would be what most would recognize as the end of The Great War -- World War 1. That day is now 100 years ago.

This was a war that was truly a World war: from the seas of the Americas, to the trenches of France and Belgium, the mountains of the Balkans, the fields of Russia, the deserts of the Middle East, the colonies of Africa, and the islands of the Pacific. Every continent that was inhabited (i.e. excluding Antarctica) had a hand in fighting this war. Before it was finally over, it would claim between 15 and 19 million lives (including civilians). This would only be beaten by World War 2.

Those years were a bloody and senseless conflict of hubris, fervent nationalism, and death. An entire generation of men was sentenced to an early grave, and all for, as Ferdinand Foch would prophetically call it, "an armistice for 20 years." If you wish to learn more about it, in all its depressing and horrific glory, The Great War is a Youtube channel that chronicles the conflict week by week. Even if you don't want to know its horrific details, I suggest at least watching the recaps so that you can see the terrifying extent that this war went to. We should always remember the lessons this war taught us. Lest We Forget...

[lp0 on fire]

May there never be a (need for a) 3rd.

WW1 has quite some interesting topics, from the birth of combat aviation, to chemical warfare, many, many, subjects of Sabation songs, to helping play a roll in cancer treatments and plastic surgery.

The first chemotherapy was a compound used to make mustard gas for cancer of the white blood cells.

[Nemomon]

Worth mentioning that today Poland celebrates its 100th Independence Day. Due to so called partitions of Poland, it disappeared from Europe maps for 123 years. It returned right after the end of the first war.

[Maniakkid25]

Poland really does have a history of being invaded, but it finally getting to be a nation again is probably one of the only good things that came out of the ending of the war. I just wonder if it was worth the blood that was spent gaining that independence.

[Nightingale]

It's hard to believe it's been a century already since the guns finally went silent and the blood dried on the fields.

And after all of that, after overwhelming victories and crushing defeats by both sides, after the collective burials of many that were just starting to live, I think it's fair to say that we still haven't learned a damn thing.

My deepest respect for all of those that were thrown in the middle of the madness.

[Mr EliteL]

Just makes you wonder how on Earth we're still here after two World Wars, and both happened within over 100 years ago now. Also the wars going on even before then and what things have been happening while we're alive now. Why was there even a need for man to rise against themselves? Again, makes you wonder what the current state of the planet would be if they didn't happen. May there never be a World War III.

[Moonface]

Why was there even a need for man to rise against themselves? Again, makes you wonder what the current state of the planet would be if they didn't happen. May there never be a World War III.

Power. Even before World War I there are plenty of times in history where invasions took place and battles were fought because of it. The difference is that instead of being an A vs. B affair of one land invading another with the rest of the world not really caring or necessarily able to intervene, we got to a point where everyone could get involved. I think the only reason we won't see another world war is because it's common knowledge that everybody would just nuke each other and send us into a real life version of Fallout 76.