World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
Learn more.
Related News
- Senate Passes Tax Bill Without Including Railroaders
- Yardmaster Protection Act Introduced
- New College Education Benefit Available for SMART-TD Members and Their Families
- Arkansas & Missouri Begins a New Chapter with SMART-TD
- In Loving Memory of Brother Darryl Redmon
- Update Your SMART Union Mobile App Today!
- Alabama Port Authority learns a lesson in solidarity
- In Loving Memory of Donald H. Wolff II
- Railroad Safety Day on the Hill 2025
- Victory in Colorado: SMART-TD Secures Permanent Funding for the Office of Railroad Safety