Connection Across Time: The Division of the Ottoman Empire

Following the defeat of the Central Powers in World War I, the Ottoman Empire was handed over to the British Government which was tasked with dividing and partitioning it as they saw fit, essentially granting Britain to shape the Middle East into new nations as they saw fit. In doing this, the British Government consolidated many different ethnic groups together into new lands such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, which consisted of groups of both Sunni and Shia Muslim peoples and Kurds. While this seemed inconsequential at the time, this adjustment of borders and movement of peoples upset the age old tribal system of boundaries that had been in place in the Middle East for centuries prior to European control of the region. The effects of this can still be seen today in the bitter conflict, most notably between Sunni and Shia insurgent groups throughout the Middle East, predominantly in Iraq and Afghanistan where the United States and Coalition troops from across the world are currently engaged in the War on Terror. These religious and cultural conflicts have resulted in countless lives lost through suicide bombings of mosques, public squares and other densely populated areas across these regions, proving that even after nearly 90 years to acclimate to their new boundaries these warring peoples simply cannot learn to live together in peace.

U.S. Events: The Failed Capture of Pancho Villa

 
Following a series of town raids on the United States' Mexican border and an outright attack a cavalry regiment in March of 1916 by Mexican insurgent leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa, the United States decided to dispatch an expedition into Mexico to bring this outlaw to justice. Selected by President Woodrow Wilson, general John J. Pershing was sent along with 4,800 men into unmapped Mexican terrain to find Villa, a feat that would prove to be harder than expected. Due to issues with the Mexican government regarding the use of Mexican Railways to transport and supply his troops, Pershing was forced to rely on a combination truck-rail shipping system, slowing his progress into the Mexican countryside. Because of these and other problems this expedition did not prove successful in either capturing Villa or stopping raids on United States border towns, but did result in the deaths of several high-ranking generals within Villa's military organization. After nearly a year of fruitless search and wasted time Pershing and his men were recalled to the United States in preparation for upcoming involvement in the first World War.

Connection Across Continents
Following his service in this hunt for Pancho Villa, general John J. Pershing would go on to command the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, and through his service become one of the highest ranking generals in America Military History, second only to George Washington.

U.S. Events: The First Transcontinental Telephone Call

 
On the Afternoon of January 25th, 1915 the first transcontinental telephone call was made by inventor Alexander Graham Bell in New York City, New York, connecting him to Thomas A. Watson in San Francisco, California. This achievement was made possible by the American Telephone & Telegraph, a distant relative of the AT&T telephone company still in operation today. Designed to coincide with the 1915 World's Fair in San Francisco, this feat hinged on the new development of signal amplifiers designed to ensure a clear connection across the great distance. The implementation of this transcontinental line allowed for easy, nearly instant telephone communication between both coasts of the United States and everywhere in between. Also participating in this first call were Theodore Vail, president of American Telephone & Telegraph, William Rockefeller, co-founder of Standard Oil, and J.P. Morgan Jr., a notable New York City banker.

Connection Across Continents
Following this breakthrough in long distance communication through the used of amplifiers to combat signal loss, transatlantic lines would be laid in the coming years allowed for the first transatlantic phone call between New York City and London in 1926.

Spotlight On: The Spanish Flu

 

Also known as the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Spanish Flu was an incredibly fatal strain of the flu which spread across the world from an unknown source taking the lives of millions of people. This particular strain of flu was most prevalent in young, typically healthy, individuals, nearly the polar opposite of the common flu which affects the very young and elderly populations. Of the 500 million people infected world wide, between 50 and 100 million died. The "Spanish Flu" nickname resulted from Spain's choice to not censor news of the outbreak, and from the Spanish King, Alfonso XIII, contracting the disease resulting in large scale media coverage of his struggle with the illness, not because the flu originated in Spain.

The Artwork of World War I

Der Kriegsausbruch, which translates to Declaration of War, painted by German artist Max Beckmann portrays a group of German citizens crowded around a newspaper reading the headline, clearly about Germany's declaration of war and entrance into the conflict of World War I. On their faces one can observe countenances of confusion, fear, panic, and even anger representing Beckmann's anti-war sentiments and personal disgust for Germany's hasty involvement in the conflict.

Machine-gun, painted by C.W.R. Nevinson, shows the battlefield of World War I from the unique cubist perspective. Nevinson latched on to the strong lines and geometric patterns of the machinegun and other war machinery and depicts it in a very abstract, unique style not often associated with wartime painting. The angular faces of the soldiers make them look almost mechanical, emphasizing the mechanical, brutish nature of the conflict, the likes of which had never been seen before.

The Filling Factory, painted by English artist Charles Ginner, provides an artistic representation of the concept of total war that was embraced by many nations involved in World War I. In the painting one can see hard working British women working on the floor of a factory, creating artillery shells to be used on the front in France. Unable to contribute in military efforts on the front, these women took it upon themselves to provide support in other ways, in this case providing munitions for the men engaged in active duty on the mainland.

Names in the News: John J. Pershing

 

American general John J. Pershing, the second military officer to receive the six star General of the Armies in the United States Army, played a prominent role in the first World War as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. This group, under Pershing's direction, was responsible for aiding British and French forces on the Western Front in 1918, leading up to the conclusion of the war. During this time Pershing was known to have clashed with French Field Marshall Ferdinand Foch, regarding the role that his men were to play in the grand scheme of the war. He was also a strong advocate of the general health of his men, and noticing the horrible effects of trench foot on soldiers, invented a new style of boot intended to protect his men from this disfiguring affliction of the first World War.

Names in the News: Ferdinand Foch

 

A career soldier serving in the Franco-Prussian War incited by Germany's own Otto von Bismark, Ferdinand Foch rose through the ranks of the French Military, ultimately assuming the position of Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in World War I, frequently butted heads with American general John J. Pershing over the position. It was under Foch's command that Allied forced mounted the counter-attack at the second battle of Marne that would ultimately turn the tide of the war in favor of the Allies. Following the war Foch played a large role in the Paris Peace Conference as an advisor to French Diplomats making political decisions as to what should come in the wake of the war.