World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict that began in Europe in 1914 and lasted until 1918. It was one of the deadliest wars in history, claiming over 16 million lives and injuring more than 20 million people. The war was fought between the Allied Powers, including Britain, France, Russia, and the United States, and the Central Powers, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. The war was marked by a series of major battles and technological advances, such as tanks and airplanes. It also saw the introduction of chemical weapons and the first use of aircraft in combat. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which led to the creation of the League of Nations.

1. The war started on 28th July, 1914.

World War 1 started on 28th July 1914 and would carry on for the next 4 years.

2. The war ended on 11th November, 1918.

World War 1 finally ended in 1918.

3. The war started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.

It all started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his pregnant wife Sophie were assassinated. Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of Austria and Hungary.

Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for this and so declared war.

Other countries then joined in. This is when countries from across the world made a pact to help each other in the war.

These countries also wanted to fight to make sure they kept their territories safe.

4. The war was against The Allies and Central Powers.

During the war, countries made a pact to help each other. The two sides were called the Allies and the Central Powers.

The countries on each side were:

The Allies (The Entente Powers): Great Britain, France, Belgium, Russia and the USA.

Central Powers: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey.

5. Soldiers lived in trenches.

Soldiers lived in trenches. These were ditches that they had to dig out of the ground.

The conditions were terrible and many soldiers got ill from living there.

This is where they lived and tried to make advances on the opposition.

The opposition also had their own trenches. The land between the two was called ‘No Man’s Land’.

This is where battles took place. It also had lots of barbed wire and sometimes land mines which were very dangerous.

Learn more about the trenches in our Top 10 Facts about The Trenches here.

6. There were lots of major battles.

A lot of the time, the two sides would fight from across the trenches.

However, there were some major battles during the war.

Some of these were…

• Battle of Tannenberg
• First Battle of Marne
• Battle of Gallipoli
• Battle of Verdun
• Battle of Jutland
• Battle of Somme

7. The War finished when Germany signed The Armistice.

The war finished when Germany signed something called an Armistice.

This is basically an agreement for peace and to stop the war immediately.

They agreed to do this as they realised they wouldn’t be able to win the war.

This was down to a lot of different things, including the USA turning against them, their Navy was on strike and the opposition had a strong fight.

8. The Allies won World War 1.

After a long four years at war, The Allies won the war. The Allies were also known as The Entente Powers.

Everyone celebrated in the street when they heard the news.

9. The Victoria Cross award was given to war heroes.

The Victoria Cross award is awarded to the armed forces.

It is awarded for extreme bravery.

There were 628 awarded during World War 1, so as you can probably tell there were a lot of heroes.

William Hackett won the award for not leaving an injured colleague behind whilst they were on a tunnelling mission.

Noel Chavasse won two medals for his bravery in rescuing soldiers from No Man’s Land.

10. Remembrance Day is on 11th November each year.

Each year on 11th November it is Remembrance Day.

This is when everyone wears a red poppy.

This is a day where we remember everyone in the armed forces who fought and lost their lives during the war.

Find out more about the Great War – World War 1

Find out more about The Trenches in World War I

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