On what date did the armistice ending World War I take effect?

The armistice ending World War I took effect on 11 November 1918.

The armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany in a railway carriage at Compiègne, France, and came into force at 11:00 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Fighting on the Western Front stopped at that moment, although the formal peace settlement came later.

The agreement followed Germany’s military collapse and the political upheaval of the German Revolution. It required German forces to withdraw from occupied territories, surrender military equipment and accept other severe conditions.

The Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, formally established peace between Germany and the Allied powers; it was not the date the battlefield armistice began. In several countries, 11 November is commemorated as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, though those observances have different histories and meanings.