On this day: Armistice agreement to end World War I signed
On this day in 1918, the Armistice agreement was signed between France, the UK, Russia, and Germany, ending World War I. The war killed an estimated 20 million people. The armistice was signed in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne and silenced the guns within hours. Armistice Day is observed as a reminder of the human toll of war.
On this day in 1918, the Armistice agreement was signed between France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Germany, ending World War I. The war, which lasted four years, resulted in an estimated 20 million deaths and was the largest conflict in history up to that point. The armistice was signed in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne near Paris and took effect at 11:00 a.m., silencing the guns within hours. Armistice Day now serves as a solemn reminder of the human cost of mechanized warfare. The article recounts the tragedies of the final hour: Pvt. Henry Nicholas Gunther, an American soldier, was killed at 10:59 a.m., one minute before the ceasefire. Pvt. George Edwin Ellison was the last British soldier killed, shot by a sniper at 9:30 a.m. Military historians estimate approximately 10,900 casualties on that last day, with 2,738 dying between the signing at 5:00 a.m. and the ceasefire. The UK observed Remembrance Day with two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., led by King Charles and members of the Royal Family at the Cenotaph in London.