Soldiers’ Mail

Mail service has historically been a cornerstone of American life and communication, and that was especially true for those serving overseas during World War I.

Red Summer

American servicemen returned from the First World War only to find a new type of violent conflict waiting for them at home. An outbreak of racial violence known as the “Red Summer” occurred in 1919,

Trench Warfare

Over four years, both sides of WWI would launch attacks against the enemy’s trench lines, attacks that resulted in horrific casualties.

Young Mr. Hemingway in Italy

In the winter and spring of 1918, Ernest Hemingway churned out several feature stories for The Kansas City Star about military recruiting campaigns. Hemingway at the time was a recent high school

Quartermaster Corps: Show Me the Bacon!

The task of feeding soldiers during WWI was enormous and the logistics staggering. For the first time in U.S. history, a trained military unit was responsible for supplying the troops.

The Battle of Loos

Lance Corporal Bernard Scott Budge served with Company D, 5th Battalion, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. The young soldier was wounded by shrapnel during the Battle of Loos.

Bicycle Battalions

World War I is known for introducing wartime innovations such as tanks and submarines, but the world’s armies still made plenty of use of “old-fashioned” technology. Case in point: Bicycle battalions.

An Ode To A Cootie

What is a cootie? Ask a World War I soldier, and you’d get a much more serious answer about a much more serious problem than you might expect. ‘Cooties’ was the nickname American soldiers gave to body

Stevedores Poster

Men work in the shadow of a dock, pushing and carrying war supplies from a ship’s hold onto a train boxcar; a bright background behind shows ships moored, a boom crane and a billowing American flag.

Zeppelin L49 Fabric Fragment

A recent addition to the Museum and Memorial’s collection is a small fragment of fabric from the skin of the mighty Zeppelin L49, one of only two items from a Zeppelin in the Museum’s collection.

How WWI Changed America: African Americans in WWI

African Americans made substantial contributions in WWI, on both the front lines and the homefront. By 1920, nearly one million Black Americans left the rural South in a movement called The Great

America Goes to War

When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the U.S. neutral. By 1917, President Wilson announced, “the world must be made safe for democracy” which brought the

Citizenship and WWI

Advocates of peace argued for the continuation of American neutrality. Objection to the war became identified as dangerous to the nation. Political fear and the controversy of war opposition led to

How WWI Changed America: Coming Home

The “home” that soldiers returned to after World War I was quite different than the one they left in 1917-1918. It set the stage for the arts movements of the Roaring Twenties and for better veterans’