June 28, 2014 - One hundred years ago today in Sarajevo, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated. By early August, Germany had declared war on Russia and France, and had invaded Belgium. Scientific American magazine, on August 15, 1914, had this to say. “It is very difficult for the American to realize that the great European war, which has been dreaded for a generation, is actually taking place. The calamity is so appalling that it seems to stretch beyond the reach of the imagination.”
On page 92 of the July 2014 issue of Scientific American, columnist David C. Schlenoff presents a special commemoration, Centennial of a Calamity, as originally chronicled in Scientific American. The magazine, from 1914 through 1918, devoted much space to the war which the U.S. entered on April 6, 1917. The magazine’s World War I Archives will be available at ScientificAmerican.com/wwi
Five Scientific American Cover Images from the period of the war
Images reproduced courtesy of Scientific American Magazine
Sometimes I think that we would benefit from getting our ideals and politics less from the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and more form Scientific American and Nature.
If you have a comment, and/or an argument, please do so below. Feedback is welcome.
If you enjoyed this post, take a few seconds to subscribe. Use the Social Media Sharing buttons below to share it with your friends.
If you would like to see my collection of Carolina Lowcountry memories—"Magnolia Elegy: Place In the Edisto Fork," you can view the book trailer here, and see the book page here on the publisher's website. The book is also available from Amazon, B&N, and your independent local bookseller.
