1914 – Today marks the 100^th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este, setting off events that would culminate into the First World War, the bloodiest conflict in human history up to that point. Although the United State would not enter the Great War until April of 1917, training bases were opened around Florida as Europe descended into a protracted conflict. Eventually, over 40,000 Floridians served in the military during the war, many in the trenches of Europe. For more information about researching Florida WWI soldiers, check out the State Archive of Florida’s Florida Memory website.

http://www.floridamemory.com/collections/wwi/