Causes of World War I (2:17)
By 1914, military tensions and a series of alliances have Europe on the edge of war. In August, the fuse is lit by an assassination in Sarajevo. By war's end, more than 100 countries would be involved in the conflict.
Related Videos (10)
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Causes of World War I
Causes of World War IVideo Clip (2:17)
Video Clip (2:17)
By 1914, military tensions and a series of alliances have Europe on the edge of war. In August, the fuse is lit by an assassination in Sarajevo. By war's end, more than 100 countries would be involved in the conflict.
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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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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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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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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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BAR: Browning Automatic Rifle
BAR: Browning Automatic RifleVideo Clip (1:28)
Video Clip (1:28)
In this video from "Mail Call", R. Lee Ermey talks about the BAR, or Browning automatic rifle.
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History of Colt 45
History of Colt 45Video Clip (2:30)
Video Clip (2:30)
In a Mail Call video, R. Lee Ermey answers Carson, a nine-year boy old from Colorado, who asked when the Colt 45 started its service in the U.S. military and when it ended its career. The Colt 45 was invented by gun designer John Browning.
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How Depth Charges Work
How Depth Charges WorkVideo Clip (1:50)
Video Clip (1:50)
In a Mail Call video, R. Lee Ermey answers a question from Jeff of Maryland who wants to know how depth charges work. Ermey explains that depth charges, formerly known as ash cans, are the oldest ant-submarine weapon, dating back to WW I.
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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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Colt Machine Gun: 'Potato Digger'
Colt Machine Gun: 'Potato Digger'Video Clip (2:53)
Video Clip (2:53)
In this spud-tacular clip from "Mail Call" R. Lee Ermey shows off the 1895 Colt machine gun, also known as the "potato digger".
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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Ambassador Demands Loyalty From German Americans
Ambassador Demands Loyalty From German AmericansAudio Clip (2:54)
Audio Clip (2:54)
James Watson Gerard, American ambassador to Germany during World War I, gives a notorious speech to the Ladies Aid Society of St. Mary's Hospital in New York in November 1917, calling for German Americans to be loyal to the United States or risk being shipped back to the Fatherland.
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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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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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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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Eisenhower Broadcasts D-Day Invasion Order
Eisenhower Broadcasts D-Day Invasion OrderAudio Clip (1:42)
Audio Clip (1:42)
On June 5, 1944, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower orders the massive Allied Expeditionary Force into action.
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Eisenhower on the Suez Canal Crisis
Eisenhower on the Suez Canal CrisisAudio Clip (4:05)
Audio Clip (4:05)
In October 1956, Britain and France entered into a coalition with Israel, and the three nations launched a military attack against Egyptian forces in the Suez Canal. On October 31, in a speech to the nation, President Eisenhower expresses the United States' opposition to the military action.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt on the Liberation of Rome
Franklin D. Roosevelt on the Liberation of RomeAudio Clip (1:55)
Audio Clip (1:55)
In a broadcast to the nation, on June 5, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt tells Americans that, with the fall of Rome, the first of the Axis capitals "is now in our hands."
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Adolf Hitler on the Sudetenland Crisis
Adolf Hitler on the Sudetenland CrisisAudio Clip (3:04)
Audio Clip (3:04)
In 1938, Adolf Hitler began to support the demands of Germans living in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia who were seeking closer ties with Germany. The Nazi leader delivers a speech revealing Germany's desire to unite the two countries.
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Kennedy Speaks Before Meeting Khrushchev
Kennedy Speaks Before Meeting KhrushchevAudio Clip (1:08)
Audio Clip (1:08)
At a May 31, 1961, Paris press conference, President John F. Kennedy describes his principal aim for meeting with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at the Geneva summit, the first between the two superpowers since 1960.
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Von Ribbentrop Addresses the German People
Von Ribbentrop Addresses the German PeopleAudio Clip (3:07)
Audio Clip (3:07)
On April 27, 1940, just two weeks before Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ordered an attack on the West, Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop addresses the German people about what he calls the "aggression" of England and France.
Related Photo Galleries (5)
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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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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 II Political Leaders
World War II Political Leaders(9 Photos)
9 Photos
View photos of World War II political leaders.
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Vietnam War: Leaders
Vietnam War: Leaders(15 Photos)
15 Photos
View images of the Presidents, politicians, and military leaders who influenced American involvement in the Vietnam War.
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Russian Rulers
Russian Rulers(18 Photos)
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From the Romanovs to Revolution and beyond, discover the rulers and politicians behind Russia's tumultuous history.
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