world war 1 artifacts
artifact 1
This is a FN Model 1910. It was produced from 1910 to 1983. This is the gun that was used to assassinate Franz Ferdinand. I chose this artifact because it represents the start of the war. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife was the beginning of World War 1. This one event is considered the most important event leading up to World War 1. This gun was used by Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Ferdinand. He had been planning Ferdinand's assassination for some time with many other men. They called them selves the black handed men. He was the man that fired the shots with this gun and began world war 1.
Artifact 2
This is a Gas Mask. John Haldane created a gas mask to protect troops during World War 1. It was introduced to British troops in April 1916 right before the Battle of the Somme. They used gas mask because the year before the Germans had fired more than 150 tons of lethal gas against two French colonial divisions. That was the first major gas attack by the Germans. After Germans began using lethal gases many other countries began using them. The most commonly used gas in World war 1 was mustard gas. Mustard Gas forms large blisters on any exposed skin and in your lungs. Many soldiers were killed by lethal gases. I chose this artifact because it shows a way the countries tried to protect themselves from the other countries tactics to kill them.
artifact 3
Here are some uniforms some soldiers wore while fighting in world war 1. Some were called torsos. The Russian army wore a traditional gymnastyorka tunic. The french wore a tunic with lots of red so the German snipers would be able to see them easier. In the beginning the soldiers wore soft regular hats but then commander and generals began realizing soldiers were getting very serious head injuries due to the lack of head protection. After that many nations began coming up with their own headgear to protect the fighting soldiers heads. On their uniforms were their weapons and supplies they needed. I choose the artifact because its apart of world war 1. The uniforms are what the soldiers fought and died in.
Artifact 4
In world war 1 soldiers used many different animals for different things or tasks. Some animals they used were horses, donkeys, dogs, camels and many other animals. Horses were used for transportation and to carry supplies. Some horses had to wear gas masks just in case other countries attacked. Camels were used to carry and transport the wounded soldiers, some were not able to walk or get around so the camels came in handy. Some dogs were used as watch dogs while the soldiers would sleep in the trenches.they were taught to bark or growl if they felt signs of danger. I choose this artifact because it shows how animals impacted the war, although it may be a surprise animals did have an impact on world war 1.
Artifact 5
This is the car Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated in. It was a double phaeton carrying engine number 287. The car was used to shuttle around archduke Franz Ferdinand around the Hungarian city of Sarajevo while riding with the top open. I chose this artifact because it was apart of one of the biggest events that led to World war 1.
Photo used under Creative Commons from quinet