Niche WW1 Facts


WW1 Niche Facts TikTok Further Reading/ Sources:

The actual TikTok link

Fact #1: The French were the first to use gas before the Germans.

BBC Article

This BBC article gives an overview on the development of chemical warfare and how it was used and developed during the Great War. Although the French had used gas on enemies before the Germans, they had done so in a much smaller manner and not nearly as deadly as the Germans in 1915 at the battle in Ypres, Belgium.

University of Kansas Article

The second link also gives a good overview on the gas used in WW1 and the development of these weapons. It also gives the names of the gases used like Chloropicrin and diphenylchlorarsine. A solid resource from the University of Kansas.

Fact #2: Native Americans fought alongside US soldiers.

Smithsonian Website

The Smithsonian website for the National Museum of the American Indian presents an in-depth view of how they contributed to the war effort. The Choctaw and Hopi used their languages to keep their messages encoded and even developed codes within their languages for further secrecy.

National Museum of the American Indian

The second link provides insight to why the American Indians fought alongside the US soldiers since many hoped to gain citizenship after the war. It is also a great resource for images of the actual Native American soldiers that fought in the Great War.

Fact #3: The burning of German language books in the USA during WW1.

Library of Congress Blog

The Library of Congress has an excellent article on the burning of these German language books. The LOC website itself is a wealth of information and archived sources. In the article they provide links to the actual newspaper clippings from 1918. The clippings also show the general anti German sentiment at the time in the US.

Fact #4: Urine soaked socks used for protection.

BBC Article

This BBC article details the beginning of the gas attacks on the ally armies. Gas masks had not been developed at the time and the soldiers desperately tried their best to survive the gas attacks. The article also gives details on how the gas masks themselves were created.

Fact #5: The Spanish Flu’s rampage on soldiers in WW1.

US Army Article

The U.S army website provides estimates of the soldiers that succumbed to the Spanish Flu and its associated illnesses like pneumonia. The article itself also gives details on how the flu spread across the US and through the army. 

Any questions feel free to ask!

             

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