The Dying Minutes of World War One

The Armistice of Compiègne went into effect on November 11, 1918 at 11AM Paris time, to end hostilities in World War One. It effectively ended the war, giving a win to the Allies without Germany having to surrender. Hurried negotiations led to the Armistice order being signed only 6 hours earlier. We mark that point on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month as the end of the Great War, 108 years ago today. But 11,000 men died on November 11th as the moments ticked down. More were killed afterward, either by soldiers who hadn't received the news of the Armistice, from rare units that refused to quit fighting, or from wounds they received earlier.

Canadian soldier George Lawrence Price, from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was serving with the 28th Infantry Battalion on November 11. The 26-year-old was part of a five-man patrol that was checking buildings beside the canal at Ville-sur-Haine, in Mons, for signs of the enemy.

Unfortunately, they found them – a group of German soldiers in the process of setting up machine guns on a wall overlooking the canal. There was an exchange of fire; both sides took cover and the Germans retreated.

The Canadians began to follow, but just as George stepped out onto the street he was shot in the chest by a German sniper. Dragged into a nearby house, he was treated by a local nurse, but there was little she could do.

George Price died soon after, at 10.58am… just two minutes before the armistice.

Read the stories of the last men to die in World War I at historywithatwist. (via Strange Company) 

Five Species That Harness Wildfires

For most animals, plants, and other life forms, fire is the worst thing that can happen. It's deadly, and even if you escape, your environment is ruined. But wildfires have always been a part of earth's activities, and some species have evolved to use it to their benefit. For example, the fire lily bulb stays dormant in the ground until after a wildfire rages through. Then it grows and blooms without competition from other plants!  

Plants that grow in the ashes of a wildfire attracts bugs, which attract birds. It's almost as if there's a system to heal and renew the environment after its devastated by fire. There are other species that are attracted to wildfires, and even one that actively spreads a fire. SciScow introduces us to how all this works. This video has a skippable ad from 6:00 to 6:48. 

Miss Cellania's Links

Celebrate the Nation’s Veterans With These 20 Stirring Photographs of American Military Heroes. 

Why Veterans Day Was Originally Called Armistice Day. And still is, in many parts of the world. 

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Thanksgiving Trends: What America Cooked, Forgot, and Ordered on DoorDash. (via Mental Floss) 

Here's an explanation of how Trump made billions off the presidency in the last two years. It doesn't even take direct bribes or pardon payments into account. (via MetaFilter) 

73 Unsettling True Stories That Belong In A Horror Movie Or Netflix Documentary. 

Why do farts smell so bad? A microbiologist explains the odors brewing in your gut. (via Damn Interesting) 

8 Bakers Failing At Ridiculously Simple Tasks. 

She was Arrested for Riding Astride a Horse in Central Park. (via Strange Company) 

Veterans Day

(via Fark)

Miller Time

Rachel Maddow Is Right. Stephen Miller Lied.......

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— M Meerkat (@kackbro.bsky.social) November 9, 2026 at 6:06 AM

Fill in the Blank

From 1914. (via Undine)

Eclipses

(via reddit)

The History of Salt

We all need salt to function, so animals evolved to seek it out. Lucky for us, the salty seas have left deposits of salt everywhere, if we can find them. Humans, however, sought salt so much that today our doctors tell us to lay off the salty snacks and put away the shaker because it can lead to high blood pressure. It wasn't always this way, because salt was not always so easy to get. the quest for salt as a commodity goes all the way back to the beginning of agriculture. Those who had it became rich selling it, although it wasn't easy- that's why working in the salt mines became a metaphor for backbreaking, unpleasant labor. Getting salt to those who had less became one of the reasons we developed global trade. This TED-Ed lesson brings us a short history of sale, but try to resist the urge to grab some chips while watching it.  

Cargo

(via Bored Panda)

Atomic Chicken

A flock of chickens seem to be living an idyllic life in the shadow of a nuclear power plant, because they are birdbrains and have no concept of the possible danger. Then one day something goes wrong, and the farm is showered with radioactive fallout. The effects are the ridiculous extremes we saw in 1950s B-movies, like immediate mutant growth and unexplainable super powers. The chickens are still birdbrains, but they have an idea of how to stop the  nuclear plant from contaminating their environment. 

Atomic Chicken is a student film from the French art school Ecole des Nouvelles, specifically the 2023 graduation film for animation students. I like the animated fabric textures, but was a little surprised at one point. "Hey, we can see this chicken's cloaca!" There's a reason for that, since a hen's main talent is laying eggs, and that's important to the story, although what they do with that talent is surprising. (via Kuriositas) 

Listen

(via Fark)

Robot Attack

Boys will be boys, even in the robot apocalypse.

Brian Vowles had two sons and an iPhone, so he made a movie, a short film, about two young warriors who fall into a trap set by a robot programmed to destroy the human race. You can read about the project here, including a running video diary of the 4.5-year-long struggle to get Robot Attack finished. (Thanks, WTM!)

Monday Was a Big Day

The incoming Democratic Senate class makes its way into the Capitol

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— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) November 9, 2026 at 11:52 AM

The amount of dopamine my brain generated when I saw this image of Annie Andrews, James Talarico, and Troy Jackson showing up to Senate orientation nearly sent me into a coma.

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— Mike Nellis (@mikenellis.bsky.social) November 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM

Nice Day

(via Bad Newspaper)

Kings

(via Bored Panda)

Pervert Glasses

Julie Nolke, as a guy, tries to buy some Meta glasses. It doesn't go well, because he's too honest. 

Carpet Store

(via Bits and Pieces)

Star Wars Copies From the 1970s

When Star Wars came out in 1977, it was an immediate monster hit. Filmmakers everywhere, but especially in Italy, sat up and noticed. If the audience wants a space Western, that's what they'll get! But we had already seen space adventures for many years, so what was it about Star Wars that people loved so much? A series of movies were churned out that tried to emulate Star Wars as best they could, going so far as to rip off character designs and plot lines from a galaxy far, far away. The most famous of these knockoffs was Starcrash, an Italian film with movie stars and space battles, but not much else. 

Evan Puschak looks at the phenomena of low budget Star Wars wannabe movies, and hones in on exactly what they were missing. Which any moviegoer who saw Star Wars on a big screen in 1977 knows to be true. This video is only seven minutes long; the rest is an ad. (via kottke) 

Miss Cellania's Links

The Real Story Behind the 504 Sit-In for Disability Rights, the Longest Peaceful Occupation of a Federal Building in American History. (via Damn Interesting) 

Marilyn Monroe as the Fabulous Enchantresses: When Monroe Recreated Photos of Five Famous Actresses From the Past, 1958. 

It Was Failed Election Meddling, Not Absence of Election Meddling. (via Fark) 
 
The Tesla Cybertruck Is Dead, The Ford F-150 Lives. 

The Kyshtym Dwarf: What Was Alyoshenka, the Tiny Body Found in the Urals in 1996? Or, how weird conspiracies can arise from institutional failures. (via Strange Company)

The only real excuse for wearing a wedding dress to a friend's wedding is in this bizarre story. 

Pasilalinic-Sympathetic Compass: The Snail Telegraph. I think Snail-o-Gram would have been a better name.  

I’m an athletic trainer – here’s how to know when kids sports are too intense. 

Doctors pull knife from man’s eye that went through his brain—and he’s fine now. 

Boot

(via Fark)