# Who invented "World War II"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-world-war-ii/36681>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 12, 2000, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-world-war-ii/36681 "2000-10-12T15:40:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-world-war-ii/36681/1 "2000-10-12T15:40:27Z")

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Who came up with the term World War II? I assume it was before 1939, but was it during World War I? And just what did they call WWI while it was happening? wasn’t it the “Great War”?

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-world-war-ii/36681/2 "2000-10-12T15:49:42Z")

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Hitler referred to WW I as “The World War” in “Mein Kampf,” so the term was probably already rather well-known. In keeping with numbering conventions of sequels, the follow up was called WW II, and the original was renamed WW I.

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-world-war-ii/36681/3 "2000-10-12T15:57:23Z")

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It was covered here

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=13884](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=13884)

And in fact, there’s even a prior link inside that thread, but I couldn’t get it to work.

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-world-war-ii/36681/4 "2000-10-12T16:57:17Z")

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Yeah, the link goes back to whan the Dope was using its previous version of board software… I’ve no idea how to update it.

\<aside to moderator\> Any way to automatically update this link, or find out which thread it pointed to? \</aside\>

Somewhere recently I saw a reprint of the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper with the headline announcung the end of WW2 in Europe, and it was referred to as the “Second Great War”.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-invented-world-war-ii/36681/5 "2000-10-12T17:31:23Z")

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I won’t bump the old thread, but the link in it points to the thread [World Wars](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=4769)  
I just used the “search” function, with “World War” (match all) in subject, and tomndebb in the username field.