The Great War 100th Anniversary

In the 11th month, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour, one of the worst catastrophes in world history ended: World War I. Also known as the Great War, World War 1 devastated Europe and redrew the political map over most of the globe.

The numbers alone hint at the devastation:

5,200 . . . . .US Casualties per sq. mile, Belleau Wood June 1918
58,000 . . . . Estimated British casualties, 1st day on the Somme
116,000 . . . . . . . . . . .American military killed, all causes
325,000 . . . . . . . . .Turkish military killed in the Great War
460,000 . . . . . . . . .Italian military killed in the Great War
529,808 . . . . . . . . British and Commonwealth military killed:
                                     neither identified nor found
584,996 . . . . . . . . British and Commonwealth military killed:
                                            identified and buried
1,200,000 . . . Austro-Hungarian military killed in the Great War
1,385,000 . . . . . . . . French military killed in the Great War
1,700,000 . . . . . . . .Russian military killed in the Great War
1,808,000 . . . . . . . . German military killed in the Great War
7,000,000 . . . Estimated combatants maimed for life, all nations
8,000,000 . . . Est. civilians killed in Great War: Non-influenza
8,300,000 . . . . . . .  Estimated combatants killed, all nations
19,536,000 . . . . . . .  Estimated wounded soldiers, all nations
21,500,000 . . . . Min. deaths in 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic
32,000,000 . Estimated artillery shells fired in Battle of Verdun
61,526,000 .  Soldiers mobilized by all belligerents in Great War
23,000,000,000 . Reparations demanded by Allied Powers in dollars
82,400,000,000 . .Direct Cost of war to belligerents-1913 dollars
(Source: Trenches on the Web: Special: The Great War in Numbers)

Because of the war, political boundaries of the world changed dramatically as well. This video at the Business Insider is a great illustration of those changes:



It’s true that an amazing period, the Diesel Era, arose out of this evil. However, this is not the time for that. This is a time to remember those lives devastated by the Great War.