The National Archives houses the largest repository of World War I documents in the United States, and it encompasses not just paper records but also still pictures, microfilm, and motion pictures related to the conflict. Now, miles of seldom-to-never-before-seen film footage is being processed into high definition video and made available on the National Archives’ YouTube channel. Some 1,600 reels of documentary film shot during and after World War I, made at a cost (in today's dollars) of some $55 million, will be free for the public to access online. Read more about this remarkable restoration and distribution project here.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum opened an online exhibit called The Roses of No Man’s Land, honoring and commemorating these nurses that served during the Great War. Using photos, letters, and personal writing logs, the exhibit features the stories of World War I nurses from Wisconsin, coinciding with the centennial entry of the U.S into the war. The exhibit focuses on the lives of two volunteers who dedicated their lives to help the war effort. Read more about this exhibit to Wisconsin nurses who served during the Great War.

The American Society of Landscape Architects published an extensive article on their web site recently chronicling the evolution of the design concept for the new national World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, DC, after the approval by the National Capital Planning Commission of the conceptual design in July. The article offers a good review of the issues the plan has encountered as it moves forward toward a dedication on November 11, 2018, the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war. Read the entire article here.

The World War I veterans' Bonus March movement was ended by Federal government intervention on July 28, 1932. The Bonus Marches had sprung up across the country in the early 1930s, pitting the American veterans of World War I against their own government. Some 20,000 homeless and unemployed WWI veterans occupied the nation’s capital in May 1932, building an encampment on the bank of the Anacostia River called "Bonus City."  On July 28, Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur directed the military forces that brought "Bonus City" and the demonstrations to an end.  Read more about what many called a betrayal of the American WWI veterans, and how the fallout from the suppression led to new attitudes toward military service.

One of the remarkable World War I resources and features that can be found on the Centennial Commission website is the daily republication of the Official Bulletin, published daily throughout the war at the behest of President Woodrow Wilson. The Official Bulletin was published to keep Americans informed about the war's progress, and to keep the public emotionally engaged in the overall war effort. Check out this amazing cultural resource of this period in our country.

The WW1 Centennial News Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this week and its about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. 

Available on our web site, iTunes, Google Play, and TuneIn.

Highlight of Episode #30 include:

• Orville Wright on winning the war with air power 
• james Higgs Balloon Observer 
• Mike Shuster on GAS
• Richard Rubin & Jonathan Bratten on
  building a national army 
• William C. Gorgas and the Great War in Tuscaloosa, AL 
• Dr. Libby O’Connell about the history of food
• Introducing the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials Review Committee
• David Craig on the Maryland WW1 Centennial Commemoration 
• Laura Vogt on the National WWI Museum and Memorial in KC
• Facebook post on the Kodak VPK - vest pocket camera 
• Shout out to the commission’s summer of 2017 interns 

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Get kits for a $64.99 contribution each.

Raise money for your organization, While helping us build the National WW1 Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC.

The WW1 Centennial Commission has created “WW1 Poppy kits”. You receive one kit with each $64.99 contribution. Each kit neatly packages 60 poppy seed packets that you can distribute or use to raise money for your organization. 

The cost of the kits allows you to double your money or more. This is a terrific fund-raiser for veteran service organizations, state WW1 centennial organizations, 100 Cities / 100 Memorials projects, or even scout troops, school and churches.

FREE SHIPPING  with no extra shipping or handling fee.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial.

With the unanimous design-concept approval by the U.S. Commission of Fine Art and by the National Capital Planning Commission, in recent weeks, our development of the new National World War I Memorial is in high-gear. Our sculptor, Sabin Howard has taken the design artwork to New Zealand, to work with the incredibly talented artists at the high-tech sculpting studio, Weta Workshop. He took some time to talk to us, and to show us what he has created, and how the sculptural development process will work. Read about the high tech take on an ancient artistic procedure here.

 On July 13, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) voted unanimously to adopt the Centennial Commission’s concept design for new national World War One Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, DC. NCPC’s decision followed the other unanimous concept approval on May 18th from the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), another regulatory agency reviewing the design. Read more about the progress of the memorial to date, and when the next round of regulatory reviews with the CFA and NCPC will tak place.

First came engravings, then scrolls, then books, then documentaries. Now, the way history reaches new audiences is through the internet. In this segment previously, we interviewed Youtuber Extra Credits. This week we spent some time with Christoph Bergs, otherwise known online as "Bismarck", who tackles history with a specific lens: aviation history. Bergs, like our previous interview Bernhard Kast, is not an American yet still has covered American military history as told by the military aircraft they employed. Through simulators, games, and visual representations, the way the world does combat in the realm of the sky is Bergs' key interests. He also has had experience working with the Great War, having worked with our French counterpart, the Mission du Centenaire, visiting the battlefields of the Somme and Verdun. We were fortunate enough to spend some time with him, and he additionally has agreed to produce a video on American aircraft during World War 1 for us. Read the entire interview and check out the great graphics here.

The 100 Cities / 100 Memorials Grant Application Evaluation Period Has Begun

To evaluate the individual submissions a Review Committee has been assembled, each of whom are assigned a group of submissions to read, review, rate and recommend. 

Once completed in Mid-August, the entire Review Committee will meet so that all committee members have chance to be introduced to all the proposed projects and the final recommendations for the grant awards will be made.

The Review Committee includes representatives of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Daughters of The American Revolution, the National World War I Museum and Memorial in KC, Saving Hallowed Ground, The American Battle Monuments Commission, and the Design Team from the National Memorial at Pershing Park project.

Read all the details and see who is on the committee in the new 100C/100M blog post.

The Short Story Behind a Photo by Benjamin Sonnenberg

This week's WWrite post gets inside the mind of the enemy.  Benjamin Sonnenberg writes from the point of view of two of the most important WWI German Generals—Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff— who commiserate over a failed military operation. 

The story's inspiration? A famous photo.

The WW1 Centennial News Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this week and its about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. 

Available on our web site, iTunes, Google Play, and TuneIn.

Highlight of Episode #29 include:

• Launching the Lottery
• A tale of combat between a merchantman and a U-boat
• The Russians and the Balkans
• The Storyteller & The Historian with Dissent in 1917
• Wrapup on Bastille Day
• “The Extraordinary Adventures of Colonel Hughes”
• Governors Island WWI History Weekend
• “Luck of the Draw”, NZ art projects commemorating WW1
• Nieuport 11’s Commemorative flight arrive in London:
• Youtube history hit channel “Extra Credits”
• Stephanie Trouillard young french journalist

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST NOW

Get kits for a $64.99 contribution each.

Raise money for your organization, While helping us build the National WW1 Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC.

The WW1 Centennial Commission has created “WW1 Poppy kits”. You receive one kit with each $64.99 contribution. Each kit neatly packages 60 poppy seed packets that you can distribute or use to raise money for your organization. 

The cost of the kits allows you to double your money or more. This is a terrific fund-raiser for veteran service organizations, state WW1 centennial organizations, 100 Cities / 100 Memorials projects, or even scout troops, school and churches.

FREE SHIPPING  with no extra shipping or handling fee.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial.

Members of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) Thursday, July 13 reviewed plans for the new national World War I memorial at Pershing Park, questioning how the proposal could best complement the existing park's design. Joe Weishaar, the lead designer of the memorial, attended the hearing, where the challenge of building a new landmark on a historic piece of property in the nation's capital was intensely discussed  by the NCPC Commissioners. Read more about the hearing here.

On July 15, 1917, 24,000 members of the New York National Guard began reporting for duty in what was then known as the World War. On July 12, President Woodrow Wilson had ordered all 112,000 National Guard Soldiers across the country to report for duty as part of the National Army which was being built to fight the Germans in France. New York's troops, along with those in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska were instructed to report on July 15 to their armories and begin preparing to ship out. Read more about the New York National Guard's great mobilization here.

Engaging a new generation is absolutely vital for any field, history included. Popular history has found new formats in the age of the Internet. Podcasts, such as Dan Carlin's Hardcore History or Mike Duncan's History of Rome, as well as Youtube Channels, such as Extra Credits or Alternate History Hub or The Great War, reach a whole new demographic that television documentaries and books haven't been able to tap. This month we'll be introducing you to some of the dedicated content creators who work hard to create educational but exciting videos and podcasts. The first YouTube outlet we will introduce to you is Extra Credits. We were fortunate to spend some time with Lead Writer James Portnow, who told us about their vision for the show.

James Portnow will also be a guest on the WW1 Centennial News Podcast this week.

Who says World War I doesn't interest the youth of today? 

With a rapidly expanding following on her blog and Twitter feed, this is the question leading a young French journalist's work that strives to give a fresh face to WWI using social media. This week on WWrite, France24's Stéphanie Trouillard tells us about her personal and professional passions driving her innovative historical writing project. And a special bonus! She's shared part of her Twitter feed from Bastille Day in Paris, where she covered President Trump meeting French President Emmanuel Macron to commemorate the centenary of the United States' entry in WWI. Don't miss the up-close look at this important day!

Every few weeks, we like to showcase the efforts of our remarkable Centennial Commission volunteers. Today, we bring you the story of Mike Masters, who is managing the WW1CC's exhibition booth activity. In his short time on board, Mike has told the Centennial Commission story to thousands of people at several convention events around the Washington DC area. Mike is a Foreign Service Retiree and WW1 history enthusiast. He is helping with events in the DC area, and staffed the Commission information booths at the Belgian Embassy Europe Day event, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Service to America night. Hear why Mike got involved in the Commission, and why the WWI Centennial is so important to him.

Sean Munger is a historian, teacher and author whose historical writing has appeared in a variety of national and international historical journals. In his meditation "Unfinished revolutions: Bastille Day and World War I," Munger posits that "to cement the ideals that the French people had risen up in 1789 to establish in their society,..the real test came in 1914, when France found itself in the midst of an existential military crisis: the French nation was threatened with literal destruction." To save France in 1917 came another nation whose own revolution was historically and symbolically intertwined with that of France: "On Bastille Day 1917, three months after U.S. entry into the war, those tanks and troops were visible marching down the central boulevards of Paris. One democratic country, with its own rocky and tumultuous history of trying (often imperfectly) to realize the ideals of its revolution, had come across the sea to rescue another." Read the entire thoughtful essay on the meaning of Bastille Day 2017 here.

The WW1 Centennial News Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this week and its about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. 

Available on our web site, iTunes, Google Play, and TuneIn. 

Highlight of Episode #28 include:

• We say farewell to Former Commissioner James Nutter: Dan Dayton |@ 00:30
• Poland in WW1 - Part 1: The Oath Crisis |@ 01:45
• Poland in WW1 - Part 2: What you probably did not know: Jan Lorys |@ 03:45
• The US government federalizes the shipbuilding industry |@ 10:45
• Women take up the fight in Europe: Mike Shuster |@ 19:15
• Americans who fought before America’s declaration: Richard Rubin & Jonathan Bratten |@ 23:30
• President Trump in Paris for Bastille Day WW1 Commemoration |@ 28:45
• Junior Master Gardener Poppy Project: Lisa Whittlesey |@ 29:30
• NYC museum exhibit: “Posters & Patriotism” |@ 35:45
• Utah grant program for WW1 events, research and memorials |@ 36:45
• “They Also Served” overlooked WW1 participants |@ 37:45
• Story about Star Spangled Banner widely picked up |@ 40:15
• The Buzz about gas:Katherine Akey |@ 42:15 

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Hawaii

Honoring Hawaii’s First Casualties of WW1

Hawaii’s World War I Centennial Task Force held its inaugural event marking the 100th anniversary of “the war to end all wars”, April 2, at Aloha Tower.   The ceremony honored the memory of six Hawaii men who died when the American merchant ship SS Aztec was torpedoed in the north Atlantic on April 1, 1917.  The sinking of the SS Aztec by a German U-boat was one of several factors that led the United States to declare war on Germany and its allies and enter the war on April 6, 1917. Major General Arthur “Joe” Logan, state adjutant general, was selected as the keynote speaker because of the historic maritime connection the State of Hawaii, Department of Defense had with WW I. Read the entire article about the Hawaiian ceremony here.

Maine

Bangor Park Rededicated in Honor of World War I Hero

On the night of July 17, 1918, U.S. Doughboys struggled through the dark eaves of Belleau Wood in a driving rainstorm. Thousands of troops were moving into position to attack at dawn the next morning, in what would begin the Aisne-Marne Offensive. One of these men was James W. Williams of Company G, 103rd Infantry Regiment.

Born and raised in Bangor, Maine, he had enlisted in the Maine National Guard's Company G, 2nd Infantry in June of 1916. He accompanied the regiment to the Mexican Border that year for a four month tour of guard duty. Now he was in France with the 2nd Infantry, except it had now been renamed the 103rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Williams had already served on two fronts in the Great War: the Chemin des Dames and the Toul Sector. Now he was getting ready to go on his first attack.

As the Americans moved forward, the Germans caught sight of troops moving in the night and pounded Belleau Wood with artillery. Heavy shells shredded the trees into splinters and tossed great showers of earth into the air in ear-splitting explosions. Read the entire gripping article here.

Function and style are combined in this lightweight and compact Messenger Pouch. You can show your American pride while carrying this Made in the USA dark khaki pouch. Plenty of room for keys, wallet, tablet and documents. Outside flap features distressed “U.S.” imprint and an exclusive fabric garment label commemorates the U.S. Centennial of World War One.

Pouch features: Constructed of touch dyed canvas, with adjustable leather tab closure with collar button stud. Nylon adjustable strap. Two internal pockets. Dimensions: 15.5” W x 10.5” H x 2.5” D. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item will help fund the national WW1 Memorial in Washington, D.C.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial.

U.S. soldiers joined rehearsals this week for the Bastille Day parade on  July 14, where they and president Donald J. Trump will be participating in the ceremonies to observe the 100 anniversary of the arrival of U.S. forces in France in World War I. The troops included members of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, which was founded in 1917, the same year that the United States entered World War One. The President will be attending the day's festivities at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Read more about Friday's activities in Paris here.

The Veterans History Project (VHP) has launched “Over There,” the second in a three-part, online “Experiencing War” website series dedicated to United States veterans of the First World War. “Over There” highlights 10 digitized World War I collections found in the Veterans History Project archive. This series is being presented as a companion site to the Library of Congress exhibit, “Echoes of the Great War.” Each veteran’s first-person narrative is shared through their original photographs, letters, diaries, memoirs, maps and other materials. Congress created the VHP in 2000 to make accessible the firsthand remembrances of America’s veterans from WWI through the more recent conflicts. Read more about the new VHP WWI series here.

Historypin is a digital, user-generated archive of historical photos, videos, audio recordings and personal recollections. The company is one of the World War I Centennial Commission’s Commemorative Partners, and they are contractor for “Remembering WWI”, a National Archives app that makes available the miles of WWI film footage at NARA which was heretofore mostly unavailable. Kerri Young of Historypin worked on this exciting project, and told us about it.

Norman Prince of the Lafayette Escadrille was recently honored at a dedication ceremony in Gerardmer, France. The ceremony took place at the Hôtel de la Poste, which was a military hospital during WWI. Retired French Lt. General Daniel Bastien delivered an address at the event to an audience composed of local historians, specialists in the Great War, military aviation researchers, and members of Legion of Honor associates and Medaille Militaire, both medals Prince had been awarded. Read more about the ceremony here.

There is a great new World War I exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. It is called "Posters and Patriotism", and it explores the effort that the U.S. government made to communicate the war, and to recruit people to join. When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, hundreds of New York City's artists and illustrators were enlisted in the war effort. Many of them worked for the federal government’s new Division of Pictorial Publicity. Posters and Patriotism: Selling World War I in New York examines the outpouring of posters, flyers, magazine art, sheet music covers, and other mass-produced images created by these New Yorkers to stir the American public to wartime loyalty, duty, and sacrifice. Donald Albrecht is the curator of the exhibition, and he took some time to tell us about it.

The WW1 Centennial News Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this week and its about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. 

Available on our web site, iTunes, Google Play, and TuneIn.

Highlight of Episode #27 include:

• History: Pershing’s 4th of July 1917 |@ 01:30
• History: Race riots in East St. Louis |@ 03:45
• Feature: US Official Bulletin - Logistics |@ 06 :00
• Guest: Joe Johnson, Logistics Expert: Defense Acquisition University |@ 10:30
• Guest: Mike Shuster, Espionage Act attack on bill of rights |@ 15:50
• News: President Donald Trump heading to Paris for WW1 Franco/US commemoration parade |@ 20:30
• Event: Commissioner O’Connell “Feeding The Fight” with WWI culinary event in NYC |@ 22:00
• Guest: Ellouise Schoettler “Ready to Serve” - one woman show about WWI Nurses |@ 23:15
• States: Texas exhibit: “From Cowboy to Doughboy” & Jim Hodgson article |@ 29:15
• International: London mail tunnels reopen as museum attraction |@ 30:10
• Feature: 16-year-old teenage girl flies 100-year-old Jenny |@ 31:20
• WWrite Blog: New post flips on convention with writer exploring redeeming qualities of combat violence!? |@ 34:00

And much more…

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Minnesota

Pfaender cup on loan for WWI exhibit

A rare artifact is being loaned to the Brown County Historical Society (BCHS) Museum in New Ulm, Minnesota for its World War I exhibit. Jay Pfaender, great-grandson of one of New Ulm’s founders, William Pfaender, has loaned a loving cup awarded to his grandfather Major Albert Pfaender. The cup’s inscription reads: “Presented to Major Albert Pfaender by the officers and men of the First Battalion, Second Regiment Infantry, on the occasion of their muster out of federal service, Jan. 24, 1917 in token of their high esteem and appreciation of his kind and efficient leadership during their term of duty on the Mexican border.” Read more about this unique artifact here.