Today marks the centennial of the end of World War I, the bloodiest in history up until that time. Many historians think the terms of the armistice actually sowed the seeds for World War II, which, for most of Europe started in 1939.

Many believe that the war started by accident, although both sides had been prepping and war-gaming it for decades.

First, this is not a “holiday.” It is a somber occasion, a time to remember. Secondly it wasn’t always called Veterans Day. To better understand what it was and what it meant, I highly recommend you read Joseph Persico’s “Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day, 1918, World War I and Its Violent Climax.”

The book is about the last few hours before the armistice. President John F. Kennedy once said that every world leader should read “The Guns of August” by Barbara Tuchman once a year. It’s about the runup to war, while the Persico work is a true tale of how not to end one.

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Amelia Brust

The waffle cone was invented at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair by Ernest Hamwi, a Syrian concessionaire. Hamwi was selling crisp, waffle-like pastries called zalabis next to an ice cream booth. When the ice cream vendor ran out of dishes, Hamwi wrapped up a pastry in the shape of a cornucopia. It quickly cooled and the other vendor filled it with ice cream, thus sparking a new dessert delivery mechanism.

Source: International Dairy Foods Association