On November 11, 1918, the First World War officially ended. But one soldier—Henry Nicholas John Gunther—was killed just one minute before peace began.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy unravels one of the most haunting and symbolic stories in military history: the last soldier to die in World War I. Discover how an American bank clerk from Baltimore, demoted for a misunderstood letter home, made a final desperate charge toward a German machine-gun nest after the Armistice had already been signed.
This story isn’t just about one man’s death—it’s about the tragic inertia of war, the moments when history refuses to stop on cue, and the human need to find meaning in chaos. If you’re fascinated by World War I history, the Armistice of 1918, or untold wartime stories, this one will stay with you long after the last gun falls silent.
#HistoryFacts #WWI #MilitaryHistory #SmartestYearEver #DailyFacts #MilitaryFacts #VeteransDay #ArmisticeDay Music thanks to Zapsplat.
U.S. National Archives. (2018). Last American Killed in World War I. Prologue Magazine.
History.com Editors. (2018, November 11). The Last American Killed in World War I. History Channel.
TIME Magazine. (2018, November 11). How the Last U.S. Soldier Killed in World War I Died at 10:59 a.m.
Coffee or Die Magazine. (2020). The Last American Killed in the Great War.
U.S. Army Center of Military History. (1918). World War I Armistice Records.
🪖 SourcesBBC History Extra. (2018). The Final Day of the First World War.