Video: 'Paths of Glory' trailer
(Friday, November 1, 1957) — Paths of Glory, an American anti-war film about a military lawyer who comes to question the status quo when he defends three men accused of cowardice, premiered today in Munich, West Germany. Continue reading ‘Paths of Glory’ premieres in Munich 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 1 1957)
Video: 'mata hari firing squad execution scene'
(Monday, October 15, 1917, at 6:15 a.m. CET) — Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan Margaretha Geertruida “Margreet” MacLeod, better known by the stage name Mata Hari, was executed today by firing squad in the Parisian suburb of Vincennes having been convicted of spying for Germany during World War I. She was 41. Continue reading Mata Hari executed by firing squad in France 100 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 15 1917)
(Tuesday, September 4, 1917, late evening CEST; on the Western Front during World War I) – The American Expeditionary Forces in France suffered their first fatalities today during the Great War when a German plane attacked a British-run base hospital near Dannes-Camiers in Pas-de-Calais, France.
Lt. W.T. Fitzsimmons was killed along with Pvt. Oscar Tugo, Pvt. Rudolph Rubino and Pvt. Leslie Woods.
(Friday, August 10, 1917, early afternoon; during World War I) — Herbert Hoover was named formally as the first director of the U.S. Food Administration today by President Woodrow Wilson, under authority invested in him by Congress, and immediately served notice on speculators and profiteers that the time of reckoning had come for those who would not cooperate in the efforts of the government to obtain lower prices for the consumer and help the allies of America in the war against Germany.
Video: 'The Great War episode 5 Mutiny'(A Soldier’s Declaration at 20:02)
(Friday, July 27, 1917; during World War I) — A Soldier’s Declaration, an anti-war letter by English poet, writer and soldier Siegfried Sassoon, currently undergoing treatment at Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburg for shell shock, was published today in the Bradford Pioneer newspaper. Continue reading Sassoon’s ‘A Soldier’s Declaration’ published 100 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (July 27 1917)
Video: 'The Great War episode 5 Mutiny'(July 23, 1917, at 20:02)
(Monday, July 23, 1917; during World War I) — English poet, writer and soldier Siegfried Sassoon, wounded by a German sniper on April 16, 1917, arrived today at Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburgh to be treated for war neurosis as a response to his “Soldier’s Declaration,” an anti-war letter. Continue reading Sassoon arrives at Craiglockhart for war neurosis 100 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (July 23 1917)
Video: 'Second draft of World War I draft numbers is drawn by United States Secretary of ...HD Stock Footage'
(Friday, July 20, 1917, 9:49 a.m. EDT) — America’s World War I draft lottery began today as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a ceremony inside the Senate office building in Washington. Continue reading America’s World War I draft lottery begins 100 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (July 20 1917)
(Tuesday, July 17, 1917; during World War I) — By royal proclamation, King George V, back in London for three days now after a 12-day tour of the Western Front, changed the name of the British Royal Family today from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (a branch of the House of Wettin) to the English Windsor, due to anti-German sentiment in the British Empire.
Video: 'The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century - Slaughter' (July 3-14, 1917, at 48:54)
(Tuesday, July 3, 1917; on the Western Front during World War I) — King George V and Queen Mary of England were greeted by a huge crowd of dignitaries today as they arrived at the Port of Calais start a tour of the Western Front, which would continue through July 14, 1917 (click here to watch video of today’s arrival). Continue reading British royals arrive at Calais to tour Western Front 100 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 3 1917)
Video: 'American Troops Land In France (1917)'
(Tuesday, June 26, 1917) — The 14,000 first troops of the American Expeditionary Force deployed to France during World War I landed today in St. Nazaire. Continue reading First American troops reach France in World War I 100 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 26 1917)
