La Zone Rouge

The Zone Rouge is a 42,000-acre area of France that was No Man’s Land in World War I. A century after that global conflict it remains littered with unexploded ordnance and too hazardous for human habitation. A short video by Dominique van Olm.

More:

“A century on from WW1, 100 years of work remains to clear munitions,” Claudia Wyatt, Reuters

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The Harlem Hellfighters

In January 1918, the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment landed in France to fight in World War I. Rather than desegregating its own combat units, the US put the 369th Infantry Regiment under French command. These American “Harlem Hellfighters” fought for 191 days, longer than any American troops, and were honored by France and the United States. Narrated by Dr. Henry Louis Gates and Hasan Jeffries. From Black History in 2 Minutes (Or So).

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Spanish Flu Wasn’t Spanish

The 1918 influenza pandemic did not start in Spain. Europe’s WWI censors forbade discussion of the widespread disease, but neutral Spain’s press reported freely, so the illness became known as the Spanish Flu. A 2018 Cambridge University video

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How World War I Changed Europe’s Borders

World War I, the “Great War,” involved 32 nations and lasted 5 years. When it ended in 1919, it redrew the world map, and  many borders in Europe, The collapse of the Russian Empire created Poland, the Baltics, and Finland. The Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Turkey was established. The German Empire became Germany, and Germany lost substantial territory outside Europe.

Video by Business Insider
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The Last Doughboy

Frank Buckles died last Sunday at the age of 110. Mr. Buckles drove an Army ambulance in France in 1918 and was the last U.S. veteran of World War I. 

“Frank Buckles, Last World War I Doughboy, Is Dead at 110,” Richard Goldstein, New York Times

Learn more at FrankBuckles.org and the Veteran’s History Project.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Peace In Our Time

War is over. That would be The Great War, the First World War, World War I. On Sunday, Germany will make the final payment on its WWI debt obligation under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.