Before World War II, the events of 1914–1918 were generally known as the Great War or simply World War I. In August 1914, the magazine The Independent wrote, “This is the Great War. It names itself.” In October 1914, the Canadian magazine Maclean’s similarly wrote, “Some wars name themselves. This is the Great War.” Contemporary Europeans also referred to it as “the war to end war” and “the war to end all wars” due to their perception of its unparalleled scale, devastation, and loss of life. The first recorded use of the term First World War was in September 1914 by German biologist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel, who stated, “There is no doubt that the course and character of the feared ‘European War’ … will become the first world war in the full sense of the word.”
🌿 Tribute
In the silence of history, their voices still call.
This tribute is for my grandfather, who fought side by side with the Allies in the trenches of France,
and for all who endured the Great War. May their memory remain eternal.
(José Carlos Palma)
