11-11-11

Today is Armistice Day in Britain, which commemorates the end of World War I.

There is something unnerving about seeing London grind to a complete halt- cars stopping in their lanes, foot traffic freezing on sidewalks and steps, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the moment the cease-fire took effect in 1918, for 2 minutes of silence.

No one knows how many people died between the signing of the agreement around 7am, and the late morning. Word definitely got out, however, and gunners faced with the prospect of having to carry ammunition back with them made a concerted effort to fire off as much of it as possible. Presumably, they hit something.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the continued commemoration of this event is that there are still people alive who actually fought in World War I. In Britain, the count is down to 4. The BBC does the annual writeup here.

There were 11 of them when I left in 2004.