“During World War I, in the winter of 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, one of the most unusual events in all of human history took place,” according to the Snopes verification of what is called the Christmas Truce of 1914.
The Germans, who had been engaged in fierce trench warfare with the British and French, spontaneously erected small Christmas trees and lights outside their trenches, and began singing holiday songs. Not long after, across “no man’s land,” the British and French troops began caroling.
Slowly, soldiers left their trenches under an impromptu truce. After brief introductions, they buried their dead and settled into the traditional Christmas routine of exchanging gifts, such as cake, alcohol, postcards and tobacco.
“For a few precious moments there was peace on earth and good will toward men. All because the focus was on Christmas,” according to Snopes. Recognizing this rare event in history, the January 8, 1915 issue of the Daily Mirror published a group photo under the headline “An Historic Group”. As the caption states, “Foes became friends on Christmas Day.”
