The Great War that Changed the World, 1914-1918

Georgia Southern Museum

Georgia Southern University

Commemorate the 100th anniversary of an event that changed our world forever. During the “Great War,” as it was called, 65 million men and women served in militaries from 36 current nations spanning 6 continents, nine million of which died. The First World War saw the introduction of new technology, the fall of empires, the rise of new states, the loss of a generation, and changes in society as a whole.

This exhibit is a collaboration of faculty curators from across the University and graduate student curator and project coordinator Sheila Boone. The exhibit design and much of the fabrication was completed by Professional Practices students in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art. This exhibit is the first of two to commemorate the Centennial.

For More Information: http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/museum/exhibits/current/

DRAWN TO WAR THE POLITICAL CARTOONS OF LOUIS RAEMAEKERS

WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, MO

Political cartoons, newly printed in vivid color during the war era, were widespread and quickly consumed by popular culture across national borders and language barriers. As with today, caricatures allowed artists and audiences to laugh, reflect and inform opinions of current events. Dutch artist Louis Raemaekers, described as the “supreme cartoonist of the war,” used his pencils as a weapon to create powerful impressions characterizing and criticizing the nature and legacy of war.

Born in the Netherlands in 1869, Raemaekers’ first wartime political cartoon was published in the Amsterdam newspaper De Telegraaf on Aug. 1, 1914, following the German declarations of war.  As is true with today’s political cartoonists, Raemaekers infused religious sensibility and symbolism to develop both comical and stirring commentary on the brutality of war and its destructive legacy. Caricatures of leaders, particularly Kaiser Wilhelm, personified the reprehensible practices of war conducted by Germans while portraying empathy that defied national borders.

Between 1914 and 1918, Raemaekers’ works were printed in newspapers worldwide, reproduced on millions of postcards, published in dozens of books, and exhibited in hundreds of cities around the globe. Raemaekers received unprecedented attention on both sides of the Atlantic, was awarded the French Legion of Honor, and received credit for influencing the U.S. decision to enter the war.

Louis Raemaekers died in the Netherlands on July 26, 1956. The next day’s issue of the British newspaper, The Times, described Raemaekers’ legacy:

“...he was the one private individual who exercised a real and great influence on the course of the 1914-18 War. There were a dozen or so people – emperors, kings, statesmen, and commanders-in-chief…[o]utside that circle of the great, Louis Raemaekers stands conspicuous as the one man who, without any assistance of title or office, indubitably swayed the destinies of peoples.”

For more information: https://theworldwar.org/explore/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/raemaekers

The Year of Navy Reserve Centennial

Naval Heritage Center, Washington DC

Through April 2016

For more information: http://navymemorial.org/yonr

This exhibition features black & white photographs of the efforts to use sandbags and wooden frames to protect Italian architecture and sculpture from aerial bombardment in WWI. It is co-sponsored by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute, and hosted by The President Woodrow Wilson House.

The President Woodrow Wilson House is open 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesdays – Sundays. Closed Mondays and major holidays.

Sand to Snow: Global War 1915

The year 1915 was pivotal in terms of the world-wide involvement in the war. World War I was the first truly global war starting in Europe, then spreading to Africa, Asia and the Near East. The European powers mobilized their colonies and commonwealths around the world. Soldiers and laborers from Southeast Asia, India, Africa and the Caribbean were sent to Europe and the Near East to fight. Particularly, the British Commonwealth nations of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa made a decisive impact.

Sand to Snow: Global War 1915 illustrates the convergence of diverse military, political, economic and social forces of the combatant nations and neutral countries. The faces, actions, voices and objects of the people, often from an individual viewpoint, serve as our guides. Their contributions and sacrifices are the central themes.

The exhibition showcases objects and documents from more than 20 countries across the world – the most encompassing special exhibition in the Museum's history – including Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Australia, India, Germany, Montenegro, Poland and the United States. The vast majority of items are on exhibition for the first time at the Museum.

The diversion of European factories to war production disrupted the entire world economy. To fight a global war the combatant nations incurred enormous debts to produce the weapons, ammunition and equipment necessary. Soldiers and sailors fighting across the globe required uniforms, supplies and food.

The United States remained politically neutral, not wanting to be drawn into a European war, but sold war material to both the Allies and Central Powers.

Open from May 1, 2015 through April 10, 2016 in Exhibit Hall, Sand to Snow: Global War 1915 is the latest in the Museum's series of exhibitions commemorating the World War I Centennial.

For more information:https://theworldwar.org/explore/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/sandtosnow

“Authors on Deck” -- 21st Century Sims: Innovation, Education, and Leadership for the Modern Era

Edited by Benjamin F. Armstrong
MAY 27, 2015

The United States Navy Memorial's "Authors on Deck" book lecture series proudly welcomes Lieutenant Commander Benjamin F. Armstrong, USN as he discusses his new book 21st Century Sims: Innovation, Education, and Leadership for the Modern Era (Naval Institute Press, 2015)

For more than two decades William S. Sims was at the forefront of naval affairs and was a central figure in preparing the U.S. Navy for World War I. During the war he served as the senior naval commander in Europe and was instrumental in the establishment of the convoy system. Despite the fact that he won a Pulitzer Prize for history and had a dramatic impact on the U.S. Navy, Sims' books and articles are still often overlooked.

This book is a collection of Admiral Sims' written work, and it investigates his relevance in addressing the questions facing today's military personnel and policymakers. Armstrong's introductions and analysis of these essays links them directly to the issues of innovation, professional education, and leadership that are as important at the start of this century as they were at the start of the last.
Following the presentation, Armstrong will be available for a Q&A; session and book signing.

Lieutenant Commander Benjamin F. Armstrong, USN, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Norwich University and is a PhD candidate in war studies with King's College, London. He has been awarded the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement and is the editor of 21st Century Mahan.

LOCATION:
United States Navy Memorial
Naval Heritage Center, Presidents Room
701 Pennsylvania Avenue,
Washington, D.C. 20004
www.navymemorial.org

COST: Free and open to the public

CONTACT: 202-737-2300

Arkansas in WWI

Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library: Benton, Arkansas

On May 28th, 2015, Mike Polston, staff historian for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture and co-editor of a new book titled To Can the Kaiser: Arkansas and the Great War, will speak about the war's impact on Arkansas' public health efforts. The event is part of the Heritage Month Program on Arkansas and World War 1. It is sponsored by the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library in Benton, Arkansas.

For more information:
http://salinecountylibrary.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=19757&lib;=

The US and Isolationism

The BBC and the British Council invite you to a free public debate at the US Library of Congress in Washington to discuss the impact and legacy of the First World War on Monday, June 1 2015, from 6:30pm - 9pm.

The RMS Lusitania set sail from New York on her voyage to Liverpool on May 1, 1915, carrying almost 2,000 people. She never arrived. Just 11 miles off the coast of Ireland, she was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat, causing the deaths of everyone on board, including 128 Americans.

The sinking of this ship was a turning point in US public and political opinion. The US entered the war in Europe two years later, in 1917, after President Woodrow Wilson overcame resistance and mobilized two million Americans to fight.

So how did the First World War change America's place in the world? And what did this demonstration of US power do to the debate about the US's role in world affairs?

For this special free public debate, the BBC's Jonathan Dimbleby will be joined by expert historians Professor Jennifer Keene and Professor Ross Kennedy and a public audience to explore the legacy of the First World War and US isolationism.

Senior editor at The Atlantic and chairman of the UK think tank Policy Exchange, David Frum, will present a specially-commissioned essay.

You must register to attend this event.

To register, email us with your name and a contact number at [email protected]. Attendance is free of charge.

The Original Veteran: World War One Doughboys

Part of the Friends' Richard Koontz Memorial Lecture Series. Presented by Richard Frederick, PhD

Donation Requested

For more information:http://pamilmuseum.org/events/event-schedule

Kenneth C. Davis, bestselling author of "The Hidden History of America at War: Untold Tales from Yorktown to Fallujah" shares his unique, myth-shattering, and insightful look at war—why we fight, who fights our wars and what we need to know but perhaps never learned about the growth and development of America's military forces at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. For more information: http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/whats_on/pritzker-military-presents/kenneth-c-davis-hidden-history-america-war/

Join the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum for donuts and a history lesson!

The traditional American doughnut has an important place in the history of the armed forces. During World War I, the Salvation Army sent women to France to lift the spirits of the soldiers -- and to serve them comfort food. Their food of choice? Hot donuts. The women became known as "Doughnut Girls," or "Doughnut Dollies" and the soldiers, "doughboys." Doughnut Day was event created by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the women who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War I. Visit the Museum on Friday, June 5th at the Smith House on the grounds of the Presidential Library and celebrate the contribution of these Salvation Army Girls and enjoy some delicious doughnuts on us.

The Bear that Inspired Winnie the Pooh

Lecture/Movie. Adopted by a Canadian Regimental Veterinarian before being shipped to England for service in World War One, this presentation and movie tells the story of the real bear at the London Zoo that inspired the author A.A. Milne.

Donations encouraged for admission.

For more information:http://pamilmuseum.org/events/event-schedule

World War I Symposium

Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery

Please join us for this free public symposium featuring noted scholars who will discuss the causes and consequences of the Great War, the experiences of the soldiers and communities who sent them, and the ways in which we have and continue to remember the War's significance.

Sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, Alabama Department of Archives and History, and the Croix Rouge Farm Memorial Foundation with support from the Alabama Humanities Foundation, state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Michelin Corporation, and National Cement, a Vicat Company.

For more information and to register: http://www.cla.auburn.edu/cah/programs/world-war-i-symposium/

Schedule:

The Rise of the Beast: How the Nation Changed for Our Entry into World War One

Lecture. Americans were evenly divided or unconcerned about the combatants on the killing fields of Beligum and France in 1914. This presentation discusses how America was drawn into the world war and how the country changed after it was declared.

Regular Admission Rates Apply.

For more information:http://pamilmuseum.org/events/event-schedule

Free illustrated lecture sponsored by the Louisa County Historical Society. Dr. Lynn Rainville will present her research on WWI in Virginia and Virginians who served in WWI, with a particular focus on Louisa County veterans.

Talk summary: Virginia and Virginians played a surprisingly large role in The Great War. Over 100,000 Virginians were drafted and 1000s lost their lives from combat, disease, and training accidents. In this illustrated lecture, I discuss the efforts of women and men on the home front prior to America's entry into the war, follow in the footsteps of dozens of Virginians fighting in France (including Louisa County soldiers), and study the memorials that were created in the Commonwealth to honor the sacrifices of these soldiers.

20th annual Governor's Lecture in the Humanities: David Reynolds

Holland Performing Arts Center

On October 1st, 2015, David Reynolds, author of the book "The Long Shadow: The Legacies of the Great War in the Twentieth Century," will lecture on "World War One: Remembering America's Forgotten War." Reynolds is the author of eleven books, and has presented nine historical documentaries on the twentieth century. The lecture will be free and open to the public. It will be preceded by a benefit reception and dinner to raise money for Humanities Nebraska's programming.

For more info, contact Humanities Nebraska at 402-474-2131 or [email protected].

The 2015 League of WWI Aviation Historians and World War One Historical Association Collaboration Symposium, 1915: Warfare Evolution; New Tactics and Strategies, covers a broad range of topics including aviation and significant battles and events of the second year of the First World War.
This event will serve as the regularly scheduled WW1HA National Symposium and is well-timed during an open year midway between regular League biennial seminars, providing an excellent opportunity for camaraderie and networking during the centennial of the First World War.
The Hilton Lisle/Naperville provides easy access to the 1st Infantry Division Museum at Cantigny Park, Wheaton, IL where we will spend Friday afternoon touring the museum and grounds.
Special events and features will include model displays and a 1915 themed model contest, WWI reenactors and militaria displays, gamers including the Fight in the Skies gang, and various WWI related vendors.
We ask that you support the League and WWIHA by attending this education and networking-focused opportunity.
Friday Symposium Speakers include:
8:30 -- Jack Tunstall: Eastern Front, 1915 (with an eye on Aerial Ops)
9:45 -- Kelley Szany: In the Shadow of War: The Armenian Genocide 1915-1918
11:00 -- Jon Guttman: Through, Above and Around: Arming the First Allied Fighters in 1915
19:30 -- Dick Church: The Kaiser's U-Boats: Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, the Lusitania, and Will They Bring America into the War?

Consult the WW1HA website for details and a registration form, or email the Symposium Chairman Randy Gaulke [email protected].

The 2015 League of WWI Aviation Historians and World War One Historical Association Collaboration Symposium, 1915: Warfare Evolution; New Tactics and Strategies, covers a broad range of topics including aviation and significant battles and events of the second year of the First World War.
This event will serve as the regularly scheduled WW1HA National Symposium and is well-timed during an open year midway between regular League biennial seminars, providing an excellent opportunity for camaraderie and networking during the centennial of the First World War.
The Hilton Lisle/Naperville provides easy access to the 1st Infantry Division Museum at Cantigny Park, Wheaton, IL where we will spend Friday afternoon touring the museum and grounds.
Special events and features will include model displays and a 1915 themed model contest, WWI reenactors and militaria displays, gamers including the Fight in the Skies gang, and various WWI related vendors.
We ask that you support the League and WWIHA by attending this education and networking-focused opportunity.
Saturday Symposium Speakers include:
8:00 -- Steve Suddaby: Aerial Bombing, 1914-1915: Crossing the Rubicon with Baby Steps
9:15 -- John Mosier: Western Front, 1915
10:30 -- Lance Bronnenkant: Early German Aces and the Interrupter Mechanism
12:00 -- Paul Grasmehr: Gallipoli

Consult the WW1HA website for details and a registration form, or email the Symposium Chairman Randy Gaulke [email protected].

Day in the Life: Christmas During the War

All Day at the National WWI Museum

Living History volunteers will be on site to share stories of the Great War era and make history come to life! The Living History volunteers will focus on how Christmas was celebrated by soldiers during the war. Included with Museum admission and free for members.

For more information:
https://theworldwar.org/visit/upcoming-events