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- Germans were the first to use flamethrowers in WWI. Their flamethrowers could fire jets of flame as far as 130 feet (40 m).
- More than 65 million men from 30 countries fought in WWI. Nearly 10 million died. The Allies (The Entente Powers) lost about 6 million soldiers. The Central Powers lost about 4 million.
- Nearly 2/3 of military deaths in WWI were in battle. In previous conflicts, most deaths were due to disease.
- In August 1914, German troops shot and killed 150 civilians at Aerschot. The killing was part of war policy known as Schrecklichkeit (“frightfulness”).
- Tanks Had Genders
- Women's Skin Turned Yellow
- Explosions in France Were Heard in London
- 'Liberty Sausage', 'Liberty Cabbage' and 'Liberty Dogs' Were Born
- WWI Saw Pioneering Advances in Modern Medicine
- Dr. Doolittle Was Created
- Franz Ferdinand's Licence Plate Was The Cause of A Strange Coincidence
- Both Native Americans and African Americans Served During The War
- The Youngest Authenticated Combatant to Serve Was only 12
- A Plaque For The Dead
At the beginning of the war, tanks were grouped according to their 'gender'. The male tanks had cannons attached while the females carried machine guns. The prototype tank was named Little Willie.
WWI saw many women join the working forces. Those who worked with TNT saw their skin turn yellow as a result, as they suffered from toxic jaundice.
A team of miners worked in secret to dig tunnels under the trenches during the war in order to plant and detonate mines there. The detonations destroyed much of the German front line and were so great, the prime minister then heard the sound in London, 140 miles away.
In America, suspicion of the Germans was so high that even German shepherd dogs were killed. The names of frankfurters, hamburgers, sauerkraut and dachshunds were all changed to American names, German stopped being taught in schools and German-language books were banned. Before the war, it had been the second most widely spoken language in the US.
Inspired by the sight of soldiers' faces ravaged by shrapnel, many of which remained covered by masks, Harold Gillies established the field of plastic surgery, pioneering the first attempts of facial reconstruction. As well as this, blood transfusions became routine to save soldiers, with the first blood bank established on the front line in 1917.
The Dr. Doolittle stories were born of Hugh Lofting's aversion to writing his children about the true horrors of the war and trench life. Instead, more creative letters were sent.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated on June 28th 1914, an event which led to the beginning of the war. Strangely, the Archduke's number plate read: A 111 118, a series that can be read as, Armistice 11 November '18.
Despite the fact that they weren't granted citizenship in America until 1924, nearly 13,000 Native Americans fought during the war. Over 200,000 African Americansalso served, but only 11% in combat and this in segregated divisions.
Many young men faked their age in order to sign up early. The youngest to do so was Sidney Lewis, who was only 12 years old at the time.
Britain issued a large bronze memorial plaque to the next-of-kin of every soldier killed during the war or who died of their wounds afterwards. The resemblance to an old-fashioned penny earned the plaque the rather macabre nickname ‘Dead Man’s Penny’. 1.35 million were issued in total.
Aug 31, 2020 · World War One was a worldwide conflict between the Allied and Central powers that took place between the 28th of July 1914 and the 11th of November 1918. Read and learn about 32 fascinating facts about the First World War that you may not know about! 1. Over 30 nations were involved in the First World War between 1914 and 1918.
Nov 11, 2023 · The First World War was a global conflict of such magnitude the world had never seen before. Technological advancements of the early twentieth century brought efficient new weapons that killed millions and left many with devastating injuries. It wasn’t just the bullets or explosives that claimed lives.
- It Contributed To Hitler’s Rise To Power And World War II. The Treaty of Versailles formally ended World War I. It ordered Germany to repay 269 billion gold marks (Germany’s currency at that time), which is equivalent to 100,000 tons of gold, to the Allies.
- It Put The Belligerents In Heavy Debt and Led To The Emergence Of The US As A Superpower. War is expensive, which the belligerents of World War I found out the hard way.
- It Was Called Everything Except World War I. World War I was not called World War I. Obviously, no one knew that a World War II was in the works. In the US, it was called the European War while everyone else called it the Great War.
- It Led To The Development Of Tanks. Trench warfare quickly led to a stalemate. No one was winning, and no one was losing. Both sides just continued hiding in their trenches and launching frontal assaults that almost always ended in disaster.
Mar 10, 2020 · It's one of the most well-documented conflicts in history, but how much do you know about World War One (also known as the First World War and the Great War)? Here, Seán Lang reveals 10 lesser-known facts about the global conflict fought between 1914 and 1918...
Nov 9, 2018 · 100 Facts that Tell the Story of World War One. James Carson. 09 Nov 2018. We’ve distilled 10 facts in 10 different topics to compile this giant collection – they fit together to explain some of the key causes, battles, social changes and more to give an overview of the devastating conflict. Build up to World War One. 1.
