Facts About World War 1
Facts about World War 1
World War 1 invokes impressions of a horrific slaughtering that took place in the trenches of the Western Front. While this gruesome picture surely leaves many with nausea, there are many World War 1 facts that most of us have no knowledge of.
The spark that initiated the war was the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand on 28 June 1914. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination and threatened war unless Serbia followed a harsh set of demands. Germany backed Austria-Hungary and Russia backed Serbia. On 28 July, war was declared and the split of Europe was inevitable with Britain, Russia and France – the Allies on one side and Germany & Austria-Hungary on the other. By the end of the war on 11 November …show more content…
An explosion in Belgium where over 900,000 pounds of explosives were detonated simultaneously was heard in London – 140 miles (225 km) away.
During World War 1, an astonishing 2 billion letters and 114 million parcels were delivered to the soldiers on the Western Front. It only took two days to deliver a letter in France.
Women’s skin turned yellow as a result of exposure to TNT toxins while preparing explosives to send to the front.
Bands of young women called The White Feather Brigade went around the streets of London and pinned a white feather on young men in civilian clothes to point out their cowardice in not being on the battlefield.
At the start of World War 1, no soldier had a metal helmet and was only introduced in 1915.
Disease accounted for one third of the deaths like trench foot and lice. Brothels, however, caused 150,000 British soldiers go down with venereal diseases.
Brothels were established because it was believed that the soldiers needed sexual activity. Brothels with blue lamps were for officers and those with red lamps for …show more content…
Their own side, mostly for desertion, shot over 300 British soldiers. When they were found drunk, they were pinned to a gun wheel or post, very often within range of enemy fire.
Superstitions played a big role among soldiers in the trenches. One of these was not to light three cigarettes in a row with the same match. Enemy snipers used this to see, aim and fire. Some saw angels appear that protected them from disaster and many saw phantom cavalry.
The British Army introduced blood transfusions during World War 1 where blood was transferred directly from one person to another. Captain Oswald Robertson of the US Army established the first blood bank on the Western Front in 1917.
Daylight Savings Time was introduced by Germany in an attempt to save fuel needed for the war effort. They advanced their clocks by one hour at 23h00 until the following October. Many countries followed suit including Britain.
America only joined Word War 1 in 1917 due to Germany’s continuation of unrestricted submarine warfare in the North
World War 1 invokes impressions of a horrific slaughtering that took place in the trenches of the Western Front. While this gruesome picture surely leaves many with nausea, there are many World War 1 facts that most of us have no knowledge of.
The spark that initiated the war was the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand on 28 June 1914. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination and threatened war unless Serbia followed a harsh set of demands. Germany backed Austria-Hungary and Russia backed Serbia. On 28 July, war was declared and the split of Europe was inevitable with Britain, Russia and France – the Allies on one side and Germany & Austria-Hungary on the other. By the end of the war on 11 November …show more content…
An explosion in Belgium where over 900,000 pounds of explosives were detonated simultaneously was heard in London – 140 miles (225 km) away.
During World War 1, an astonishing 2 billion letters and 114 million parcels were delivered to the soldiers on the Western Front. It only took two days to deliver a letter in France.
Women’s skin turned yellow as a result of exposure to TNT toxins while preparing explosives to send to the front.
Bands of young women called The White Feather Brigade went around the streets of London and pinned a white feather on young men in civilian clothes to point out their cowardice in not being on the battlefield.
At the start of World War 1, no soldier had a metal helmet and was only introduced in 1915.
Disease accounted for one third of the deaths like trench foot and lice. Brothels, however, caused 150,000 British soldiers go down with venereal diseases.
Brothels were established because it was believed that the soldiers needed sexual activity. Brothels with blue lamps were for officers and those with red lamps for …show more content…
Their own side, mostly for desertion, shot over 300 British soldiers. When they were found drunk, they were pinned to a gun wheel or post, very often within range of enemy fire.
Superstitions played a big role among soldiers in the trenches. One of these was not to light three cigarettes in a row with the same match. Enemy snipers used this to see, aim and fire. Some saw angels appear that protected them from disaster and many saw phantom cavalry.
The British Army introduced blood transfusions during World War 1 where blood was transferred directly from one person to another. Captain Oswald Robertson of the US Army established the first blood bank on the Western Front in 1917.
Daylight Savings Time was introduced by Germany in an attempt to save fuel needed for the war effort. They advanced their clocks by one hour at 23h00 until the following October. Many countries followed suit including Britain.
America only joined Word War 1 in 1917 due to Germany’s continuation of unrestricted submarine warfare in the North