The First World War was a turning point in the development of watches. Although wrist watches had been invented in the 1860’s as a fashion accessory for ladies, war service quickly made the value of being able to tell time without using your hands apparent to men. Accordingly, all of the clockmakers rushed out a wide variety to market, where they were snapped up quickly. New types of wrist watches were introduced as well; a Cartier best-seller today is a variant of a 1917 model. Read more about this here.
Kansas WW1
Commemorating the First World War Centennial in Kansas
This weekend on C-SPAN3 (all times Central):
–World War I in the Middle East. Airs at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, July 14th. Repeats at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, July 15th.
–The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Airs at 5:55 p.m. Saturday, July 14th. Repeats at 3:55 a.m. Sunday, July 15th.
All five of the US Armed Services have got resource sites about WW1, even the Air Force, which didn’t exist until 1947.
Be sure to check out the Army booklets, which are generously illustrated with Signal Corps art work and photographs.
There’s a long, long trail a-winding
Into the land of my dreams.
Where the nightingales are singing
And the white moon beams.
There’s a long, long night of waiting
Until my dreams all come true;
Till the day when I’ll be going down
That long, long trail with you.
The following WWI programs will air on C-SPAN3 this weekend, barring any schedule changes. As usual, all times given here are Central.
–World War I and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This talk was given recently by Sergeant Major (Retired) Gavin McIlvenna at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. Airs at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, July 7th; repeats at 1:55 a.m. Sunday morning, July 8th.
A couple of motorcycle enthusiasts from France found a U.S. Army surplus 1918 Harley Davidson in pieces and have restored it to 1918 condition. They have embarked on a 5,000 mile ride around the U.S. and some time in the next few days they should pass through Cherokee County, KS. Folks in Baxter Springs should keep a lookout for them. You can read more about this here and also here.
USMC in Paris
Wilson at Mt. Vernon
One hundred years ago today a detachment of U.S. Marines withdrawn from the Belleau Wood fight and described as ‘the men with the cleanest uniforms’, marched in Paris before cheering crowds hailing them as the saviors of the city. This public relations coup was a masterful act of upstaging the Army and as happening outside the combat zone, was widely covered by both French and American newspapers.
On its face, this seems implausible. What does George Washington have to do with World War 1? Click here to find out.
There are several films on Turner Classic Movies this month that at least use the First World War as a plot device. Three days into the month and two have already been shown, and they show up frequently on TCM, as do most of this month’s films. The two already shown are:
Let’s have a little historical levity the day before the Fourth of July. Among the songs from WWI is “Canning the Kaiser,” written by Upton Sinclair and sung to the tune of “Marching Through Georgia.” I’m not sure that it is remembered all that well today; perhaps that has something to do with hardened Southerners and how they felt about the melody. But here goes:
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