At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ended as an armistice was declared with the secession of hostilities. Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about “The War to End All Wars.”
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The Youngest Soldier to Enlist in the U.S. Army Was Only 12 Years Old
Frank Sauliere from San Jose, California, became the youngest doughboy to serve in World War I when he lied about his age and signed up with the U.S. Army two days after Congress declared war. Sauliere’s parents lied too since Frank was only 12, and they went so far as to petition President Woodrow Wilson to approve his entrance into the military. The boy worked running messages, a dangerous battlefield job, and as an interpreter, and during his 21 months of service, he was wounded two times.
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Spanish Flu Caused Many of the Deaths During World War I
The flu may have originated in China but spread like wildfire through trenches along Europe’s Western Front and U.S. military camps. It was reported that between September and November 1918, between 20 and 40 percent of those in the U.S. Navy and Army were sickened by the Spanish flu. Reports indicate that more than 27,000 American soldiers died from the flu as well as a minimum of 14,000 German soldiers.
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Blacks and Native Americans Served During World War I
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There were about 13,000 Native Americans and more than 350,000 African Americans who served during World War I. This was despite the fact that Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924. Blacks served in segregated divisions, and only 11 percent saw actual combat. Some, however, fought alongside French troops, and 171 were given the French Legion of Honor for their heroic service.
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Germany Tried to Bribe Mexico Into Joining Them
A message from Arthur Zimmerman, the foreign secretary for the German government, was sent to Mexico that suggested a German/Mexican alliance, and that information was published in American newspapers across the country. If Mexico had agreed to ally with Germany, the country promised to give back to Mexico the states of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, which it had lost when the United States annexed these areas in 1845. Outrage by the American public swung opinion toward entering the war, which caused President Wilson and Congress to enter the conflict a short time later.
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A Homing Pigeon Saved 194 Men’s Lives
Over 200,000 homing pigeons were used during the war to deliver messages for the U.S. military, and Cher Ami (Dear Friend) was one of the birds trained to do just that. At the Battle of Argonne, France, American soldiers, stranded behind enemy lines without any ammunition or supplies, sent Cher Ami and two other pigeons out with a message detailing their location and asking that the shelling by Allied forces be stopped because about 300 of them had been killed by friendly fire. Two of the pigeons were killed, but Cher Ami, despite losing a leg, an eye and being shot in the chest, delivered her message after flying 25 miles. She is credited with saving almost two hundred men.