THE WAR TO END ALL WARS Exhibit

90^th Anniversary of the End of WWI

The underlying causes of the war dated back, in part to the Unification of Germany and the changing balances of power among the European Great Powers in the early part of the 20^th century.  The act which is considered to have triggered the succession of events which led to war was the June 18, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb citizen of Austria-Hungary and member of the Young Bosnia.  The retaliation by Austria-Hungary against the Kingdom of Serbia activated a series of alliances that set off a chain reaction of war declarations.  Within a month, much of Europe was in a state of open warfare.

 On April 6, 1917 the United States declared war on Germany.  In the exhibit the visitor will learn why the United States entered the war, the sinking of the Lusitania, trench warfare, Spanish Flu, music from the period, Benicia Arsenal involvement, Benicians who were drafted in the war, uniforms, helmets, heroes and much more.  The exhibit will be open through March 2009. 

World War I Army and Navy uniforms	World War I uniform complete with soldiers gear	Features memorabilia from Benician Carl Lunsted’s father  who served in WWI.

2060 Camel Road. Benicia CA. 94510
 Tel. (707) 745-5435   Fax. (707) 745 5869