Armistice Day

Armistice Day is the anniversary of November 11, 1918, when an armistice agreement was signed halting the fighting in World War I.

The name Armistice Day sometimes also refers to the day that the armistice was signed.

In the U.S., the name of Armistice Day has been changed to Veterans Day, which now commemorates all veterans of the U.S. armed forces, especially those who died in combat.

In the U.K., military members who lost their lives in both World Wars and other conflicts are commemorated on Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, chosen due to being the closest Sunday to the anniversary of the armistice.

In Canada, Australia, and other places, November 11 is observed as Remembrance Day, which also commemorates those who died in both World Wars.

Armistice Day is observed on November 11, the anniversary of the day in 1918 when the armistice was signed.

World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. But fighting halted on November 11, 1918, when an armistice was reached by the Central Powers and the Allies.

An armistice is a temporary truce that halts fighting in order to negotiate terms of peace. In World War I, the armistice marked the end of warfare, with the official peace treaty coming several months later.

Armistice Day is often a time of somber commemoration. It’s observed with memorial services and wreath-laying ceremonies at gravesites and monuments. Sometimes, a two-minute period of silence is observed at 11 a.m., the time that the armistice was signed.

A popular symbol to commemorate and honor veterans is the red poppy. Some wear white poppies to commemorate all victims of war and to symbolize peace.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Armistice Day?

• armistice
• World War I
• Veterans Day
• Remembrance Sunday
• Remembrance Day
• Treaty of Versailles
• Allies
• Central Powers

Armistice Day is still observed, but in many places, there are also related observances that go by other names, including Veterans Day (U.S.), Remembrance Sunday (U.K), and Remembrance Day (Canada).

Lest we forget.

The generation who fought in the first world war didn't mark Armistice Day with gaudy displays and performative remembrance.

For them it was a very sombre affair indeed.

— Jenny List (@Jenny_Alto) November 3, 2021

The coffin of the 'Unknown Warrior' in Westminster Abbey, London, Sunday 7 November 1920. In order to commemorate the many soldiers with no known grave, it was decided to bury an 'Unknown Warrior' with all due ceremony in Westminster Abbey on 11th November, Armistice Day in 1920 pic.twitter.com/fOAKchwkYI

— Phil Lowe (@phillowe1) November 4, 2021

'My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity.'

Solider and poet Wilfred Owen died #OTD in 1918, killed on the battlefields of northern France just a week before Armistice Day. He is remembered in the Abbey alongside other poets of the First World War. pic.twitter.com/NS19YExqZ0

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) November 4, 2021

True or False?

Armistice Day commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.