Commemorating the First World War Centennial in Kansas
Twelve Technological Advances from WW1, as reported by Erik Sass at mentalfloss.com. (Click here to read the entire article).Most of these will be familiar and relate solely to the waging of that war. As you read through the article you may think that it’s all old news, but there are three that stand out. Quoting from Sass’ article, these are:
We have previously covered the story of the Native American code talkers in WW1. Among these soldiers were the Chahta Okla (“Choctaw”) from the Oklahoma National Guard who served with distinction at The Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge in 1918. They have recently been recognized in a special way. The 114th Fighter Squadron, an Air Force National Guard (AFNG) unit based at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, OR, has dedicated one of their F-15C aircraft to the Choctaw code talkers. You can read about the nose art by clicking here. The 114th Fighter Squadron is an ‘Air Education and Training Command’ unit which instructs both US and Canadian fighter pilots. Last week this squadron lost an F-15D in a crash landing. The pilot was uninjured. All of their F-15’s are slated to be replaced by the new F-15 EX in FY 2024, becoming the first AFNG unit to receive these types.
In 1917 and in 1918 the US Congress tried to levy a tax on soft drinks. The first attempt was a tax on the producers, while the second was a tax on both producers and consumers. In both instances these taxes were intended to raise money to pay for the war. You can read about these tax efforts by clicking here.
Coming up soon is “Our Promise”: 100 years of the American Battle Monuments Commission”. The live Youtube broadcast will be at 6:00 PM on May 12th.
You need to register in advance. Click here.
It was overcast & cloudy with slight showers & a strongish cool breeze, but better for the people than great heat. Today was indeed a great & memorable day in our lives & one which we can never forget, but it brought back to me many sad memories of 9 years ago when the beloved Parents were crowned. May [Queen Mary (1867-1953)] & I left B.P. [Buckingham Palace] in the Coronation coach at 10.30. with 8 cream coloured horses.
Watch the livestreamed broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation by clicking here.
The Doughboy Foundation is the successor to the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, which has sunseted. You can learn more about the Doughboy Foundation by clicking here.
Now available are The Virtual Explorer App and The Visitor Guide App. You can read about these and download them by clicking here.
The small Hungarian village of Vácrátót is about 25 miles NNE of Budapest. A feature there is a world-class sixty-seven acre botanical garden which includes a modern war memorial. It’s created in the genre of Emil Krieger’s 1956 Four Mourners (at the Langemark German Cemetery in Belgium) and the 1932 Käthe Kollwitz sculpture The Grieving Parents, (now at Vladslo Gerrman Cemetery, also in Belgium), each of which emphasize the tragedy of loss rather than sacrifice for victory. The Vácrátót statue depicts a family of four in traditional Hungarian folk dress, but the father is a cutout silhouette, forever gone but never forgotten. The wife is trying to wrap her arm around the husband’s missing shoulder, the infant child is trying to sit on daddy’s knee and the daughter is attempting to cuddle with the void. These little actions emphasize the horrific loss of thousands of families in two catastrophic wars.
This photograph has been zinging around the social media for a few weeks now. The artifact in question is reported to have been found on the WW1 Gallipoli battlefield and is held in a private collection in Turkey. Although the Turkish bullet, which is on the right, collided with the British one, on the left, there are no rifling marks on the British bullet, which means that it was never fired at all. The likely explanation is that the Turkish bullet struck a British cartridge, and the brass was later salvaged for scrap. You can read more by clicking here. Some have termed this collision to be a ‘billion to one’ chance, but there are five other examples of similarly collided bullets in this Turkish collection alone.
While five million men were being mobilized from America for WWI, over seven million women were participating in the war effort at home and overseas. You can read more about this by clicking here.
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