Rabbit Feet. The lucky charm for sagittarius, the sign of Franz Ferdinand. On the day of his death, Franz Ferdinand was fearful of assassination, given his visit agitated the Serbians. It was an important Serbian Holiday that day, and his visit was an offense to them, given the country whose throne he was heir to overtook the majority of theirs. Although he was catholic, to protect himself he covered himself in lucky charms of many faiths, and even wore a suit that was said to be bulletproof. It was not. “I come to Sarajevo on a visit, and I get bombs thrown at me. It is outrageous!” -Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand’s death was the harbinger of the first world war, agitating Austria and invoking the wrath of Serbia’s allies. As vengeance for Franz’ assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia, enlisting the help of its own friends, Germany and Italy.
Franz Ferdinand’s death was the harbinger of the first world war, agitating Austria and invoking the wrath of Serbia’s allies. As vengeance for Franz’ assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia, enlisting the help of its own friends, Germany and Italy.
The first use of chemical warfare was in 1914. What they would eventually be known for was used for its first go in world war one as the Germans terrorized their enemies with mustard gas. Later, their enemies harness this power as well, and both sides unleash a hurricane of poisonous gas upon eachother. People could hardly catch their final breath as their throats blistered shut, and they were gassed into their endless sleep. “I wish those people who talk about going on with this war whatever it costs could see the soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning. Great mustard-coloured blisters, blind eyes, all sticky and stuck together, always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that their throats are closing and they know they will choke.” -Vera Brittain
Shown is the Ocean Liner of Lusitania, torpedoed down by German forces as it crossed irish territory. Its wreckage is slowly being reclaimed by nature, the near 1,200 people dead already turned to skeletons aged with water and flora. There is still debate over whether or not it was legal to torpedo the ship, depending on who one asked they would get different results. In this attack, 128 Americans died, arousing America to declare war on Germany. “Mr. Friend struck his fist in his hand and said, “By Jove, They’ve got us.” The ship steadied herself a few seconds and then listed heavily to starboard, throwing us against the wall of a small corridor we had quickly turned into. We then started up to the boat deck, as I had told Mr. Friend and poor Robinson that, in case of trouble, we would meet there and not try to run around the ship to find one another. The deck suddenly looked very strange, crowded with people, and I remember that two women were crying in a pitifully weak way.” - First Class Passenger Theodate Pope Riddle
420,000 British casualties. 200,000 French casualties. 500,000 German casualties. Those are only the recorded deaths from what is called the Bloodiest Battle in war history: The Battle of the Somme. Neither side won, and for this cause over one million people died. Old scars of war still plague the wretched valley created even a century after its end. “I always remember my disappointment the next morning when I found that my hand was still on because I thought, well, if I lost my hand I'm all right, I shall live, they can't send me out without a hand again. I was 20 then, it's not altogether a right thought for a young man to hope that he's been maimed for life.” -Arnold Ridley
Verdun, once a sacred place to the French, has become none more than a graveyard and grim memory engraved in the French’s conscious. Over a century after the war, Verdun was still a very unsafe place to live, infested with the active shells left over by combat, arsenic, dead bodies, and barbed wire. After a century, life has not claimed that land, it remaining barren, ragged, and a harrowing reminder of the past. Signs shouting “INTERDIT VERBOTEN FORBIDDEN” were not an uncommon sight at the treeline, and anyone who passed them heeded their warnings for fear of setting one off. “...An awful word, Verdun. Numerous people, still young and filled with hope, had to lay down their lives here – their mortal remains decomposing somewhere, in between trenches, in mass graves, at cemeteries....” -An Unnamed German Soldier, Writing to his parents