World War I was when all the nations fought for their survival in the land, in which America also played a considerable role, supported by their armed forces. In 1917, the United States of America declared war on the German Empire three years after World War I.

The US was a massive supplier of money and raw materials in the war. In 1918, the American soldiers arrived as 10,000 men per day at the borders of the Western Front. The U.S. present with over 4 million military men, and nearly 65,000 soldiers suffered losses of all kinds. This incident led to a drastic effect on the U.S. Armed forces. Under the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, the war brought about substantial opposition to the U.S.

The policy of neutrality

After the war began in 1914, the U.S. proclaimed the neutrality policy, despite the hate against German Empire and the President’s commands. However, Wilson protested against the uncalled marine attacks on the U.S. and warned that the U.S. would not tolerate such unrestricted warfare against American rights and international obligations. This statement contradicted the policy of neutrality. Finally, in 1917, the United States entered into war after unraveling the official commitment to neutrality.

Although the citizens decided to remain neutral, they shifted to the German army after the U.S. entered the war over time. This led to the preparedness movement, which forced them to build solid naval and defensive forces immediately. Many famous faces and names like ex-president Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, and many others were the faces of this movement.

The Preparedness movement

This movement had a realistic philosophy of world affairs. The movement helped the U.S. to empty over 100,000 men in the army, which easily outnumbered the German army. They also called for the UMT – Universal Military Service, forcing everyone who turned 18 or above to take six months of training in the military and then were assigned to different units.

Declaration of World War I

Even though the U.S. urged, in January 1917, Germany resumed their unrestricted submarine warfare. After several incidents, the American Congress finally accepted the war on April 6, 1917. The congress declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire but took many steps in declaring war against the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, or the Central Powers. Hence, the U.S. remained uninvolved in military campaigns in eastern and central Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and other regions.

Due to the need for more soldiers in the armed forces, in 1917, the U.S. gave citizenship to Puerto Ricans and allowed them to participate in World War I.

American women were not a part of the combat forces but served as personnel and nurses in uniforms. During the world war, many American women also worked in hospitals close to battlefields to treat millions of soldiers and other victims of the war.

Most individuals are quite knowledgeable about many of the critical details of World War I, including famous battles like the Somme and Passchendaele. However, some are so oddball that they have yet to make it into the textbooks. So here are the top 10 poorly known facts about World War I that could surprise you in honor of the centennial of the Great War.

An explosion was heard in London:

During the war, miners worked covertly to excavate tunnels beneath the trenches to install and explode mines there. The detonations were so loud that the prime minister, who was 140 miles distant from London, could hear them. They significantly damaged most of the German front line.

Tanks were made by the British:

Top-secret work was involved! It was kept a secret from everyone, including the factory employees who put the cars together. They were informed that they were building portable water tanks for desert combat. To throw the adversary off, the name “landships” for tanks was changed to “tanks.”

The majority of people suffering from facial injuries:

Artists constructed copper masks to conceal the wounds because plastic surgery was poor at the time. Each soldier’s cover was painted to match their skin tone and was secured with spectacles. Some even had metal eyelashes that were curled.

Dogs were used as messengers:

Dogs were employed as messengers during World War I, carrying orders in capsules fastened to their bodies to the front lines. Additionally, telegraph cables were laid down by dogs.

In trenches, soldiers were housed:

In trenches, soldiers were housed. They had to dig these canals out of the dirt. The living conditions were appalling, and many soldiers were ill. Nevertheless, they resided here and made their attempts to overpower the enemy. There were trenches for the opponents as well. No Man’s Land was the name given to the area between the two.

Women’s skin became yellow:

Then, as more and more men enlisted in the military, women had to fill their positions. As a result, women were suddenly working in places like factories, offices, and buses—jobs taboo during quiet times. Moreover, because their skin would often become yellow when exposed to hazardous chemicals, the women who worked at weapons plants were given the moniker “canaries”!

11^th November:

Remembrance Day is observed on November 11 every year. At this time, everybody dons a red poppy. On this day, we honor all members of the military services who fought and perished in the conflict.

Apart from all these, initiating the earliest attempts at facial restoration, Harold Gillies founded the profession of plastic surgery after witnessing soldiers’ faces damaged by shrapnel, many of which were still hidden by masks. Blood transfusions for saving soldiers became commonplace, with the first blood bank opening on the front lines in 1917.