World War I and Veterans' Day

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria led to the outbreak of a war that involved many nations of the world.  Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Central Powers making up the Ottoman Empire were in conflict with the Allied Powers that included Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan.  The United States joined the Allies in 1917 in a conflict that became known as World War I or the Great War.  

Based upon events that occurred in 1915 and 1916 which involved violations of international law and warnings that were made by German authorities, U.S. President Wilson went to Congress and asked for permission to go to war.  War was officially declared by Congress on April 6, 1917, but American soldiers were not deployed to France until 1918.  The two million soldiers who were sent to France played a vital role in the final six months of the war.  By the end of the war, approximately eighty-five million soldiers had been killed while twenty-one more were wounded.  During the six months that American soldiers fought, fifty-three thousand died on the battlefield.  Around half of that number of troops died in the concluding battle of the war, Meuse-Argonne.  The fighting ended on November 11, 1918, the day which became Armistice Day and has been Veterans’ Day since 1954.  Veterans’ Day is now an official United States public holiday observed annually on November 11, honoring all military veterans.

This "war to end all wars" ended with the sigining of the Treaty of Versailles.  This event began another chapter in world history because the wounds that brough on war were not healed, and another conflict would begin within the next twenty years.  

To learn more about the Great War, the battles, the locations, and the involvement of the United States and other nations, take a look at the books on display at the Al Harris Library, as well as many others in the collection.  All are available for you to check out and enjoy!