When Did We Start Calling It World War I? | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 12, 2025)

When did people start calling it World War I—and who decided to start numbering the wars in the first place?

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy traces the fascinating evolution of how humanity labeled its greatest conflicts. From the “Great War” and President Woodrow Wilson’s call to name it “The World War,” to early 1930s editorials predicting a “World War No. 2,” this episode explores how language, history, and tragedy intertwined.

Discover when newspapers like the Manchester Guardian first used “World War No. 2,” how TIME Magazine helped cement the naming convention, and why governments and historians officially adopted “World War I” and “World War II” after 1945.

It’s a story of how optimism turned into inevitability—and how a phrase meant to capture the scope of one war had to be expanded to fit another.

So when did “The Great War” become “World War One”? Find out how the world ended up numbering its darkest chapters.

#HistoryFacts #WorldWarI #WorldWarII #GreatWar #WWI #WWII #MilitaryHistory #LanguageHistory #Etymology #DailyFacts #WorldHistory Music thanks to Zapsplat.

Sources:

• BBC History. (2018). When the Great War Became World War One.
  

• History.com. (2020). Were They Always Called World War I and World War II? The History Channel.
  

• Manchester Guardian Archives. (1919, February). World War No. 2.
  

• TIME Magazine. (1939, June & September). World War I and II Terminology.
  

• U.S. National Archives. (2014). How and When Did World War II Officially Become World War II? The Text Message Blog.
  

• U.S. War Department. (1919, October 7). General Orders No. 115.