Photo Galleries (3)
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World War I Leaders
World War I Leaders(16 Photos)
16 Photos
World War I ravaged Europe from 1914 until an armistice was signed in November 1918. In all, more than 9 million soldiers would be killed, and nearly 21 million more wounded.
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World War I: Trench Warfare
World War I: Trench Warfare(11 Photos)
11 Photos
Trench warfare reached its highest development on the Western Front during World War I (1914–18), when armies of millions of men faced each other in a line of trenches extending from the Belgian coast through northeastern France to Switzerland.
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Veterans Day: Remembering the Armistice
Veterans Day: Remembering the Armistice(13 Photos)
13 Photos
Veterans Day falls on the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918. Meet several World War I veterans and read their reflections on that momentous occasion.
Videos (10)
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WWI Firsts
WWI FirstsVideo Clip (1:18)
Video Clip (1:18)
WWI may have been the war to end all wars, but it was also the beginning of many military and civilian technologies.
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Trench Warfare
Trench WarfareVideo Clip (1:14)
Video Clip (1:14)
Although best known for its role in the long slog of World War I, trench warfare actually got its start on the battlefields of the American Civil War. Find out how new weapons and technology played a part in both its development and destruction.
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Allies Launch Disastrous Attack at Gallipoli
Allies Launch Disastrous Attack at GallipoliVideo Clip (1:39)
Video Clip (1:39)
An ill-fated assault on Turkish forces leads to 500,000 casualties in World War I.
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U-Boats Sink the Lusitania in 1915
U-Boats Sink the Lusitania in 1915Video Clip (2:04)
Video Clip (2:04)
When Germany torpedoes a British passenger ship believed to be smuggling arms, anger at the resulting American deaths increases pressure on President Wilson to enter World War I.
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Treaty of Versailles Ends World War I
Treaty of Versailles Ends World War IVideo Clip (1:56)
Video Clip (1:56)
German resentment over harsh peace terms leads to a rise in nationalist sentiment and the eventual rise to power of Adolf Hitler.
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1916 Battle of the Somme
1916 Battle of the SommeVideo Clip (1:36)
Video Clip (1:36)
After two years of trench warfare, the Allies attempt to break through German lines on the Western Front. The ensuing battle will last for months and result in more than one million casualties.
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World War I: Germans Attack U.S. Navy Boats
World War I: Germans Attack U.S. Navy BoatsVideo Clip (2:31)
Video Clip (2:31)
In this History Rewind video clip, take a step back in time to the beginning of World War 1. The repeated sinking of American ships caused the President to declare war. Watch the historic black and white footage of some of the attacks.
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Rasputin
RasputinVideo Clip (1:59)
Video Clip (1:59)
Timothy Dickinson tells us about the life and death of the famous Russian mystic Rasputin.
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Coming Home from World War I
Coming Home from World War IVideo Clip (0:24)
Video Clip (0:24)
In this video clip, a veteran of World War I talks about what it was like to return home from the war. He talks about how they pulled into New York Harbor on Easter Sunday and they could see the Statue of Liberty.
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World War I Packs
World War I PacksVideo Clip (3:35)
Video Clip (3:35)
In a Mail Call video, R. Lee Ermey answers a question from Mark of Kansas who wants to know what was in a World War I backpack. Ermey reveals that the backpacks WWI soldiers had to wear served to be an annoyance.
Speeches & Audio (6)
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General Pershing Rallies Support for World War I
General Pershing Rallies Support for World War IAudio Clip (0:31)
Audio Clip (0:31)
In a speech recorded from the battlefield in France on April 4, 1918, Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, rallies American support with a patriotic message.
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Gompers Pledges Labor's Support for World War I
Gompers Pledges Labor's Support for World War IAudio Clip (1:10)
Audio Clip (1:10)
Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), discusses the effects of World War I on the United States.
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George V on World War I and Its Aftermath
George V on World War I and Its AftermathAudio Clip (2:26)
Audio Clip (2:26)
King George V speaks to the crowds gathered in London to celebrate his Silver Jubilee on May 6, 1935.
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Japan's Unconditional Surrender
Japan's Unconditional SurrenderAudio Clip (4:13)
Audio Clip (4:13)
An NBC news report summarizes the events of August 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito of Japan announced that his country will accept unconditional surrender and called for a ceasefire that formally ended World War II.
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John F. Kennedy on Coup in South Vietnam
John F. Kennedy on Coup in South VietnamAudio Clip (6:06)
Audio Clip (6:06)
On October 29, 1963, President John F. Kennedy meets with the National Security Council to discuss whether to support the overthrow of South Vietnam's President Ngo Dinh Diem. During the secretly recorded conversation, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and the president craft a detailed plan involving Henry Cabot Lodge, ambassador to South Vietnam, Gen. Paul D. Harkins and the general of the South Vietnamese military, hoping to avoid setting off a civil war in the country.
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Douglas MacArthur Receives the Japanese Surrender
Douglas MacArthur Receives the Japanese SurrenderAudio Clip (1:21)
Audio Clip (1:21)
On September 2, 1945, aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay, World War II comes to a close when Japanese officials sign the unconditional surrender. Gen. Douglas MacArthur presides over the signing and delivers a short speech on the momentous occasion.
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Read More about World War I
From 1914 to 1918, the Central Powers faced off against the Allied Powers in a devastating international conflict that later become known as World War I.
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