Tomorrow, November 11, is Veterans Day – originally Armistice Day, which marked the day the fighting ended in World War I in 1918. The agreement to stop fighting took effect at 11:00 AM, "on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."
Armistice Day was later changed to Veterans Day. It's kind of a shame, because the original meaning of the day – honoring the fallen of World War I, the "War to End All Wars" – has basically been forgotten by the general public, like so much of American history.
Nevertheless, I thought it would be interesting to look at an early Armistice Day front page of the Lorain Journal. The oldest one available was the 1922 edition, which was the fourth anniversary, and that is what you see below.
"CITY PAYS SILENT TRIBUTE TO DEAD ARMISTICE DAY" is the heading of the story acknowledging the remembrance. "Today at 12 noon, everyone in the city on the fourth anniversary of Armistice day, paused for two minutes and stood in silence as a tribute to the American soldiers who lost their lives in France during the World War.
"In celebration of the fourth anniversary of the signing of the armistice, the American Legion held a flag raising of the Oberlin avenue plant of the Ohio Public Service Co. at 2:30 this afternoon.
"Following the dedication of the new flag and flag pole at the Ohio Public Service Co. plant, the members of the American Legion marched to the monument at the corner of 5th street and West Erie avenue where they laid a wreath in honor of their fallen members as three volleys rang out from the firing squad.
"The Veterans of Foreign Wars held a smoker at the Moose lodge to commemorate the day.
"Elsewhere in the city American flags were displayed in honor of the day."
