Joseph street- Located in Sarajevo, The capital of Bosnia which was annexed by Austria in 1908. This act made Bosnia nationalists furious. After a bomb thrown by Nedeljko Čabrinović struck the car fallowing Ferdinands One Gräf & Stift luxury limousine, The duke and his wife decided to take a detour to the hospital to check on the injured. Ferdinands driver Leopold Lojka took a wrong turn onto Joseph street when coincidentally Gavirilo Princip, one of Čabrinović’s six partners, was having a drink in a bar located on this exact street. Princip saw the duke as well as his chance to take action. The first shot fired hit Ferdinands wife in the stomach killing her and her unborn baby, The second shot had hit Ferdinand, They both died within the hour.
Croix de Guerre- Awarded to Henry Johnson for his act of bravery during the battle of WWI. Johnson was a member of the Harlem hellfighters, A group of black U.S. men sent to fight under the French flag. Johnson was manning a listening post in no mans land when he and his partner private Needham Roberts were raided by Germans. Roberts was wounded so Henry had to fight off the attackers single handedly, He had attempted to use a French cartridge in his American gun causing his gun to jam. He then used his rifle as a club along with his knife to fight off the armed Germans. There was 4 Germans found dead but there was said to be about 30 Germans in this altercation that lasted about an hour according to Henry Johnson himself. Once he and private Needham were discovered the French awarded Johnson with the Croix de Guerre. Unfortunately Henry Johnson’s injury was not documented, he was unable to work and was not granted any help for his services. He died July, 1, 1929 at the age of 23 with not a penny in his name. He was awarded the Purple Heart in 1996, He received another award the Legion of Merit by president Obama 75 years after he had passed.
Zimmermann telegram- Issued from the German office sent to Mexico through Western union. The Western union facility is located in London, The British being Ali’s with the U.S. sent this telegram to the White House along with releasing it to the public. The telegram proposed the idea of Mexico joining into WW1 if the U.S. did. In return for this action the Germans would award Mexico with Arizona,New Mexico, and Texas this land was taken from Mexico by America in the 19th century. This act along with the sinking of 5 American merchant ships angered majority of Americans pushing the United States to get involved in the 4 year battle of WWI.
Trenches- A hole dug in the ground about 3 meters deep, 1-2 meters wide and an estimate of 2,490 meters in length. Purposfully built in zig zags in case of a German entering, The enemy would not to be able to shoot straight down the trench. Soldiers rotated every week between the Fire trench and the support trench which were typically 800 yards apart. The Fire trench was the most dangerous place to be it was closest to the enemy and easier to access. The support trench was in case the fire trench was taken by the Germans, In the support trench is where most of the sleeping, eating and treating of wounds was taken place. All trenches were connected by communication trenches. Trenches were considered homes and graves to these soldiers, Their mentality was that they were going to rot in the hole before the war ended. With many men living in the trenches it held many diseases due to the moist unsanitary living conditions, More men died by disease in trenches than by gun.
Mercy dogs- Brave,Loyal and trained. Dogs played a big roles in WW1 but behind the scenes with really no recognition for their acts of bravery. War dogs were trained at the School of Instruction in Hampshire. Dobermans were mostly used to guard one man trained to growl instead of bark so the soldier it was guarding would be alerted with out giving away their location. Border Collies were used to track down injured men and take them first aid kits. There were many rats in the trenches, The rats would eat the soldiers food,supplies, and clothing. Terrier dogs would track down the pests and kill them. Dogs are known for being strong and brave animals but they are also known for being loving and loyal and above all a mans best friend. Men in WW1 were sad and lonely dogs were given the best job of comforting them and keeping them happy enabling them to fight to their fullest potential.