Introduction - World War One
World War One (also called WW1, WWI, and the Great War) was fought from 1914 to 1918 and involved almost all of the major economic powers of the world at that time. All wars are horrible but World War One stands out as one of the most horrific with a scale of death that had never been seen before that time. This along with trench warfare, poison gas, and new weapons such as the flamethrower rank WW1 as one of the worst wars in the history of the earth.
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On this site you will find lists of interesting facts about World War One. You will find information on what caused the war, where the great battles were, and how the war was fought. Some of the facts can be found in every kids history book where other facts are not as well known.
Basic World War One Facts
- The assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914 by a Yugoslav nationalist was the spark that started the war. It gave Austria an excuse to launch an attack against Serbia which led to numerous countries taking sides.
- The war began on July 28th, 1914 and lasted until November 11th, 1918.
- The major battles of WWI include the Battle of Verdun, Battle of the Somme, The Third Battle of Ypres, and the great naval Battle of Jutland.
- Many weapons were improved upon during the war and several new weapons such as the tank and poison gas were developed. For information about these weapons visit our World War One Weapon Facts page.
- The United States entered World War One on April 6, 1917. Despite President Woodrow Wilson's and the majority of the American peoples wish to stay out of the war the US declare war against Germany. This was mainly due to the sinking of numerous US ships near Britain by German U-Boats.
- The famous sinking of the British ship Lusitania in May of 1915, on which numerous Americans died, is often regarded as the reason for the US entry into WW1. However the US did not enter the war for another 2 years after the sinking.
- Adolf Hitler served as a corporal in the Bavarian Army during WWI.
- Rittmeister von Richthofen (also know as the Red Baron) shot down an amazing 80 enemy planes during World War One; this made him the top ace of the war. On April 21st 1918 he was shot down and died over Amiens France.
WW1 Opposing Sides
WW1 Allies
- United Kingdom
- France
- United States
- Russian Empire
- Italy
- Japan
WW1 Central Powers
- Germany
- Austria-Hungary
- Ottoman Empire
- Bulgaria
Conclusion World War One Facts
- World War One was one of the largest wars in history with more than seventy million soldiers involved over a four year period.
- Over nine million soldiers lost their lives in the war.
- The map of Europe was redrawn due to the war. For example Germany was forced to give up territory to several other countries including Belgium and Czechoslovakia.
- After the war the League of Nations was formed. Its purpose was to help avoid future large scale conflicts. With World War Two beginning a few decades later it was unsuccessful.
- The end of World War One laid the seeds for World War 2. The treatment of Germany after the war led to conditions that allowed fascism to rise and eventually for the Nazis and Adolph Hitler to gain power.