VERDUN, FRANCE—For months, the Meuse-Argonne offensive had been raging. Though the American Expeditionary Forces were latecomers to what was then called The Great War, they participated in some of the fiercest fighting in a war that would be the terrible blending of centuries: a 19th-century mindset with modern technology, but soon, it would be over.

The Great War began in 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian radical. The Austria-Hungarian Empire held Serbia responsible and declared war on the country, and in a domino effect of alliances, many uninvolved countries were soon drawn into the conflict which would last four more grueling years, and would shape the future of the entire globe for the next century.

Joining Austria-Hungary was Germany, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, and several other powers which would comprise the Central Powers. They would face off against the allied powers of France, The United Kingdom, Russia, Serbia, and many other countries, including the United States in 1917. 

Over the course of the war, there would be tragic and rapid advancements in technology, as countries sought more and more devastating weapons in an effort to overwhelm their enemies. Airpower became a huge factor in warfare for the first time, tanks were introduced, and artillery rained on both sides of the conflict to devastating effect.

Perhaps the most horrifying weapons used, however, were gas shells. Flung from one trench to the other, shells would burst, sending clouds of green and yellow gas across the battlefield. Mustard gas and others like it would choke out anyone who was unlucky enough to breathe it in, causing blindness in many cases, and death in many more. It was awful enough that such devices were outlawed following the war.

When they weren’t being shelled, life in the trenches was still no picnic. Often there was poor or no drainage, so the infantry would be wading around in mud or standing water, causing the condition of trench foot. Vermin and insects were prevalent, and of course, there was the constant threat that if one were to peek over the top of the trench, that could spell death. 

Finally, in 1918 an agreement was reached, and the war and all its horrors would come to an end. As agreed upon by the Allied and Central Powers, the guns would fall silent, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – Nov. 11, 1918. The years of trench warfare, of horrible fighting, illness, fatigue, and more would finally come to an end. Many servicemen from many nations would report that mere moments after the guns fell silent, they heard something that they hadn’t heard in months: birdsong. 

Though the war was over, and the thousands of men and women involved would be going home, the world would never be the same. It was the hope that it would be The War to end all wars, and with how horrific it was, that didn’t seem too farfetched. The landscape would remain scarred for decades, and to this day, there are areas off limits because of gas-saturated earth and unexploded shells. 

To ensure that no one forgot, countries around the world declared Nov. 11 Armistice Day – a day of solemn remembrance in which survivors would remember the fallen, and everyone would remember the horrors of war so as to never repeat them again. Unfortunately, for some, this wasn’t the case.

There are still those who remember, however. A common sight in the UK, and not uncommon in the US, people may still be seen wearing a synthetic poppy blossom on Nov. 11. Long associated with Armistice Day, poppies were some of the first things to grow in the churned-up soil on the battlefields of World War I. It’s a subtle, and fitting way to pay homage to those who fell in the Great War, and every conflict since.