When did the Great War become the First World War?

[b3rn]

You will know - or can take an educated guess - but here's a chart that plots the number of instances of each phrase in the Trove Australian newspapers database over time (focused on 1938–1946 and plotted at monthly intervals)

It's the work of an Australian digital historian and you can read up on the background in these blog posts - one, two

[Guest SaraNZ]

What a great visual resource!

[Jim_Grundy]

Colonel Charles à Court Repington worked as a journalist for 'The Times' and 'Morning Post', most notoriously being the man who broke the 1915 shell scandal story. He wrote a book, published in 1920, called 'The First World War'.

[leighc]

You will know - or can take an educated guess - but here's a chart that plots the number of instances of each phrase in the Trove Australian newspapers database over time (focused on 1938–1946 and plotted at monthly intervals)

It's the work of an Australian digital historian and you can read up on the background in these blog posts - one, two

Intriguing notion that FIRST World War, and presumably, by extension, SECOND World War, predated Japan's involvement.

[rflory]

On this side of the ocean it was the 'European War' until the US became involved; then it was 'The World War' until there was a second world war and then it became World War I. Dick Flory

[lionboxer]

My Mum used to refer to it as the Last War i.e. the war to end all wars. It used to confuse me being brought up post WW2!!

Lionboxer

[truthergw]

Always a good question. Arguably the Seven Years War was a world war. As Jim Grundy points out, some contemporaries foresaw a continuation. Pershing may well have been one.

[SteveMarsdin]

I have several volumes of "The History of the Great European War". A British book which I presume, with a full set covers all the conflict: the volumes I have go to 1917. In some French parliamentary reports it is still called the Franco-German War in 1915(1916).

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

It was IIRC; called the "First World War" in a Newspaper article as early as 1914,there was no inclination of a 2nd or 3rd World War just the fact that it was & remains the First......

[phil@basildon]

It was IIRC; called the "First World War" in a Newspaper article as early as 1914,there was no inclination of a 2nd or 3rd World War just the fact that it was & remains the First......

It was a question posed on Qi a short while back. The answer was that the term was first used in 1914.

[b3rn]

Graph is more about popular usage (based on instances of the phrase in the popular media of the day, newspapers) ... and it's Australian-centric. Interesting points all though.

[auchonvillerssomme]

I suppose it depends on the context. Lloyd George used both terms as early as November 1914.

"This is the first great War that has ever been fought under modern conditions."

[leighc]

It was IIRC; called the "First World War" in a Newspaper article as early as 1914,there was no inclination of a 2nd or 3rd World War just the fact that it was & remains the First......

Sort of like introducing her indoors as "my first wife"

[Anneca]

Very interesting conception. I enjoyed reading up on the background as well. Thanks for that.

You will know - or can take an educated guess - but here's a chart that plots the number of instances of each phrase in the Trove Australian newspapers database over time (focused on 1938–1946 and plotted at monthly intervals)

It's the work of an Australian digital historian and you can read up on the background in these blog posts - one, two