Press Release

In commemoration of Veterans Day, the National WWI Museum and Memorial serves as a fitting place to honor those who have served — and continue to serve — our country. To recognize these men and women, admission to the Museum and Memorial is free for veterans and active duty military personnel from Thursday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 14. General admission for the public is half-price.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced that the virtual reality experience War Remains will be extended through Dec. 31, 2021. War Remains was gifted to the Museum and Memorial by Gigi Pritzker and Madison Wells, and has sold out virtually every day since it opened in May.

Empires at War: Austria and Russia examines the conflict on the Eastern Front, an aspect of the war often less surveyed but with cataclysmic results for the millions affected. Although the Museum and Memorial has been collecting internationally since 1920, material culture from the Eastern Front of the war has been difficult to acquire. The commemoration of the Centennial of WWI brought opportunities to reengage the international community and enrich the collection, shedding new light on the enduring impact of war on the Eastern Front.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced today the appointment of Patricia Cecil as the organization’s first Specialist Curator for Faith, Religion and WWI.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial serves as a fitting place to give honor and special recognize to the individuals who sacrificed their lives while serving their country. Admission to the Museum and Memorial is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel, while general admission for the public is half-price all weekend (Friday-Monday, May 28-31).

The National WWI Museum and Memorial will reopen Liberty Memorial Tower and the Edward Jones Research Center after more than a year of being closed due to the global health crisis.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial’s Memorial Courtyard will be temporarily closed to members of the public beginning Monday, April 5 while necessary improvements are made.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced the launch of a new education tool featuring nearly 500 GIFs on giphy.com that highlight the enduring impact of the First World War. These GIFs provide a small glimpse into daily life during the war and show how much — and how little — has changed in the past century. This is the largest cache of Great War GIFs to have been created.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced a major gift from the Sunderland Foundation to update the Museum’s main gallery, public spaces and courtyard. These updates are part of the Museum and Memorial’s multi-year strategic plan and will provide greater opportunities for immersive experiences as well as increased viewing space for the collection. The generous gift totals nearly $10 million.

Why Keep That?, the latest special exhibition at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, follows the journey of a collection item from the moment it is donated to the Museum, to the decision-making and archival process of our collections staff.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial is pleased to announce the appointment of five new board members who bring a diverse set of experiences and skills to its Board of Directors. These individuals are all deeply dedicated to the organization’s mission of remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.

War Remains, the immersive experience from MWM Interactive (MWMi) will debut at its new home, the National WWI Museum and Memorial in May 2021. Presented by “Hardcore History” legendary podcaster Dan Carlin, War Remains is an immersive VR experience that transports viewers to the Western Front of the First World War. Viewers will witness history unfold from a soldier's point-of-view in this thought provoking, visceral experience.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial has received a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative to establish an endowed curator position on faith and religion, strengthen public programming on religion and war, enhance online exhibitions and resources on religion and increase its collection of religious objects and materials. The grant totals $2.5 million.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced a $500,000 gift from the William T. Kemper Foundation – Commerce Bank, Trustee and a $155,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities toward the goal of digitizing the Museum’s entire collection.

Admission to the Museum and Memorial is free for veterans and active duty military personnel from Saturday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 15. General admission for the public is half-price on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11. A “Legacy Jump” will kick off the Nov. 11 Veterans Day activities at 6:30 a.m.