The First World War was a big war that happened between 1914 and 1918. It was a global conflict involving many of the world's major powers, organized into two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. The war began on July 28, 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by a member of a terrorist group. This event led to a chain reaction of countries declaring war on one another. The war was fought mainly in Europe, but it also spread to Africa and Asia. Many soldiers and civilians died during the war, and it finally ended on November 11, 1918, with the signing of an armistice between the warring nations