100th anniversary of “The European War”

Thinking about what took place 100 years ago I may wish to fly my flag at half mast today.

People may disagree as to when World War One began, but August first is good enough for me. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary took place on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo. Then on July 28,1914 the Austro-Hungarian Empire declaring war on Serbia. 100 years ago on August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia. Other declarations of war soon followed, leading up to what Americans began calling “The European War.” The U.S.A. entered the conflict in 1917 at which point the name “The Great War” took hold, as well as other terms such as “The War to End All Wars.”

It was a horrible conflict, but in 1914 most people had no idea how horrible it was going to be. In 1914 most folks thought their victorious troops would be home by Christmas. Many things were about to change in Europe and the world. The meaning of war itself was about to change.

To mark the 100th anniversary of this historic event, I suggest a WWI timepieces thread.