World War I
Dates:  July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918

World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918.  The Central Powers; Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire were pitted against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy and Japan known as the Allied Powers.  The Allies were joined after 1917 by the United States.  The four years of World War I, saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction thanks to grueling trench warfare and the introduction of modern weaponry such as machine guns, tanks and chemical weapons. By the time World War I ended in the defeat of the Central Powers in November 1918, more than 9 million soldiers had been killed and 21 million more wounded. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved.