Every year, two entire countries stop to remember one terrible day. On April 25, 1915, thousands of soldiers from Australia and New Zealand landed at Gallipoli, Turkey. They were part of a plan to help win World War I by capturing an important waterway called the Dardanelles. But the plan went wrong almost immediately. The soldiers landed on the wrong beach. Steep cliffs towered above them. Enemy soldiers were already waiting. The fighting lasted eight months. The conditions were terrible. Soldiers dug narrow trenches in rocky ground. Summer brought extreme heat, flies, and disease. Winter brought freezing rain. Despite the suffering, the soldiers showed incredible courage. They helped each other, shared their food, and kept fighting even when the situation seemed hopeless. In the end, the forces withdrew without achieving their goal. More than 11,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers died. Today, April 25 is ANZAC Day, the most solemn national holiday in both countries. Dawn services are held at war memorials across Australia and New Zealand. People wear red poppies and bake ANZAC biscuits made from oats and golden syrup.