World War I

World War I - doughboys

World War I “Bombing” on Wisconsin Ave.

We shared an map of American University and Camp Leach from World War I when it was used to test chemical weapons. Many don’t know the extent of chemical warfare experiment that were conducted on and...
Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "World War I. Food Administration electric signs, 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W." National Photo Co.

7th and Pennsylvania Lit Up During World War I

Check out this great old photo of 7th and Pennsylvania Ave. during World War I. Source: Flickr 
1917 - State, War, and Navy Building

World War I Allies’ Flags Flying at State, War, and Navy Building

How cool is this old photo from 1917? The French, U.S., and British flags were flying from the State, War, and Navy Building. Source: Library of Congress
No scare at British Embassy. Washington, D.C., June 18. Despite the tense situation abroad and talk of the fifth columns on this side no increase has made in the police detail guarding the British Embassy here. A solitary minion of the law still guards the majestic building

Churchill Proposes Unifying French and British Empires to Fight Nazi Germany

Here’s a shot of the British Embassy before the U.S. entry into World War II. The photo was taken four days after Paris fell to the Nazis. Source: Library of Congress According to The Washington Post printed...
Two Curtiss JN-4H "Jenny" airmail planes parked at the temporary airmail field at Washington, DC’s Polo Field, a small strip of grassy land between the Tidal Basin and Potomac River.

What Did U.S. Postal Service Planes Look Like During World War I?

What an awesome old photo of a U.S. Postal Service plane from 1918. Source: Smithsonian
John Henry Balch, Corpsman, U.S. Navy, visiting Washington, D.C., in June 1917 [at Columbus statue at Union Station], while awaiting shipment overseas. The Marine on the right is not identified. [Portraits.] [Scene, World War I, World War 1.] John Henry Balch. 06/1917; NH 80571; Courtesy of Commander J.H. Balch, U.S. Navy (retired), 1974.

Two World War I Marines in Front of Union Station

Here’s another great photo send in by GoDCer Michael. These two marines are sitting in front of Union Station, on the Columbus Statue as they await getting shipped out for World War I.

Panoramic Photos of Camp Meigs in 1918

What a great old photo from World War I. These photos show Camp Meigs in 1918. Source: U.S. National Archives Source: Library of Congress  
soldiers rolling through Washington on trucks

World War I Soldier Ogling Woman

Here’s our next photo for “Pictures Tell a Story.” It’s a great old shot from 1918 of World War I soldiers motoring through the city on trucks. Source: Library of Congress So, to start, let’s look...
tank rolling through Washington during World War I

Whoa! Tank Rolling Through DC (Where Is This?)

This is a cool photo from 1918, showing a tank rolling through Washington. Any idea where this is? Source: Library of Congress
wireless operators advertisement - 1918

World War I Draft: Wireless Operators Needed

Source: Library of Congress Here’s a cool advertisement from World War I. This was printed in the Washington Herald on February 15th, 1918.
Washington Times - July 28th, 1914

July 28th, 1914: Austria Has Chosen War

This is the front page of the Washington Times from Tuesday evening, July 28th, 1914, the day Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Source: Library of Congress
Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Robert Hall, group." in color

1918 in Color: Be Prepared

Shorpy always has great photos. You can spent way too much time digging through finding gems like this. The photo below is a scene replicating Joseph Leyendecker’s BSA Liberty Loan poster for bonds during World War I....
1919. "U.S. Army. Return of Washington, D.C., soldiers." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative.

Soldier Returns Home From World War I

Here’s a powerful photo. The soldier looks absolutely thrilled to be back and hold, what appears to be, his baby. The baby, on the other hand, not so thrilled to be handled.
French assault Germans in trench warfare

This Day in History: The Great War Delays D.C. School Opening

This is an interesting article from the Washington Times, dated August 8th, 1914, exactly 98 years ago today. World War I (i.e., the Great War) had been going for roughly two weeks and the paper reported...
intersection of Potomac and Anacostia Rivers as mapped by Peter Hains in1891

Hains Point: How Did It Get Its Name?

Hains point is named for Peter Conover Hains. That was easy. You would know that if you checked Wikipedia, so I’m not really adding any value with this post. But if you go down there and...

Five-Year-Old Arrested for Getting His Kite Out of Tree

This is an odd story from the Washington Times. The paper reported on August 11th, 1908 the arrest of a young five-year-old. Yes, a little kid was arrested and it’s a bizarre story. Not only was...
Lusitania sinking off the coast of Ireland (Ken Marschall)

1915 Lusitania Advertisement in Washington Post

This is another haunting discover, much like the advertisement I uncovered for the Titanic (also, read about the notable DC resident that went down with that ship). I came across an advertisement in the Washington Post...
Capitol Building after World War I Armistace Day (DC Public Library Commons)

Washington Goes Wild to Celebrate Armistice Signing (1918)

Here’s an excellent photo from the DC Public Library Flickr photostream. This shows the Capitol Building fully lit up following announcement of the end of World War I. The end of the Great War has lost...
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