In this deep space image from the Hubble Space Telescope, every object you see is a galaxy. In the center is a massive cluster of galaxies. The arcs around the cluster are images of a galaxy behind the cluster. The cluster bends space, which distorts the galaxy’s image into multiple curved arcs, in the same way that an imperfection in a pane of glass might. Here is clear proof of Einstein’s theory; proof that was unavailable in 1915.
After ten years of further work, Albert Einstein publishes his General Theory of Relativity, which changes our understanding of the very nature of reality.
Symphony No. 8 in F
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812. Public domain.
Performed on recorder by Papalin, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.
Kigoma harbor on Lake Tanganyika in German East Africa, shortly before the war.
Once German East Africa proved to be more difficult to subdue than originally thought, the British seek to wrest control of Lake Tanganyika from the Germans as a first step.
Overture to Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)
Composed by Richard Wagner in 1840. Public domain.
Performed by The University of Chicago Orchestra, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Source.
US Marines take up a defensive position outside Cap-Haïtien in 1915.
Political instability and mounting foreign debt wrack Haiti and the Dominican Republic. With the Great War raging in Europe and fears of German meddling, US Marines take control of both countries.
You can listen to my interview on “Stocks and Jocks” here.
“America the Beautiful”
Music composed by Samuel A. Ward in 1882. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Navy Band. Public domain recording. Source.
“Marines’ Hymn”
Music composed by Jacques Offenbach in 1859. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.
“Bullets and Bayonets”
Composed by John Philip Sousa in 1915. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Marine Corps Band. Public domain recording. Source.
Period postcard celebrating the conquest of Serbia.
With the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war, and with Serbia still holding out, an alliance with Bulgaria became increasingly attractive to both sides in the Great War, and both sides attempted to sway Bulgaria to join their coalition.
Tragic Overture
Composed in 1880 by Johannes Brahms. Public domain.
Performed by The Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Public domain recording. Source.
“Farewell of Slavianka”
Composed in 1912 by Vasily Ivanovich Agapkin. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Coast Guard Band. Public domain recording. Source.
The famous “Lord Kitchener Wants You” British recruiting poster from the Great War.
In 1915, as the Great War ground on, it became increasingly apparent that the war would be long and costly. All of the combatant nations experiences economic strains in varying degrees, which led in turn to political unrest. In the UK in particular, this took the form of declining support for the Liberal government, especially in light of repeated military failures, such as at Gallipoli. There was also a scandal over the particular question of why Britain seemed unable to supply its troops with sufficient quantities of artillery shells. These strains led to a Cabinet reshuffle and the creation of a new coalition Government of all political parties.
Skizze
Composed in 1901 by Edward Elgar. Public domain.
Performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-nc 3.0 license. Source.
“Dorabella” from The Enigma Variations
Composed in 1899 by Edward Elgar. Public domain.
Performed by The DuPage Symphony Orchestra, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 3.0 license. Source.
War memorial at Gallipoli. The statue depicts a Turkish soldier carrying a wounded ANZAC soldier, and is based on a real-life incident.
In early 1915, the British responded to a Russian plea for help against the Ottomans by shelling the Dardanelles. In the months that followed, the War Cabinet, spurred by Winston Churchill, approved a plan to land large numbers of soldiers at Gallipoli in an effort to open a sea route to Russia and perhaps force the Ottoman Empire to quit the war.
The Crown of India
Composed in 1912 by Edward Elgar. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.
“Venus, the Bringer of Peace,” from The Planets
Composed in 1916 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band. Public domain recording. Source.
An international women’s conference prepares to meet in The Hague, in an effort to find a way to end the war through private diplomacy. At the same time, one hundred miles away, Germany uses poison gas as a weapon of war for the first time on the Western Front. (It had already been used against the Russians.)
Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano
Composed in 1913 by Alban Berg. Public domain.
Performed by Carol McGonnell, clarinet, and Steven Beck, piano, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Source.
Suite No. 1, “In a Haunted Forest”
Composed in 1891 by Edward MacDowell. Public domain.
Performed by The University of Chicago Orchestra and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Source.
“Oh, You Beautiful Doll”
Composed in 1911 by Seymour Brown and Nat D. Ayer. Public Domain.
While the British sought the decisive naval battle that would settle things once and for all, Germany devised a new form of warfare, which led to the sinking of Lusitania.
Prelude from Das Rheingold
Composed in 1869 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.
An askari from German East Africa, holding aloft the colonial flag.
Germany’s largest colonial holding in Africa was German East Africa (modern Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi). When the Great War began, the first British attempts to take control of the territory failed.
Lacrymosa from Requiem in D Minor
Composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; arranged for piano by Franz Liszt. Public domain.
Performed by Markus Staab and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.
