Welcome!
This is an educational website with the sole purpose of teaching the public about the chemical warfare of World War One. We also hope to commemorate those who fought in the war a century ago (it's the war's 100th anniversary.) You can use the bar at the top of the page to navigate the site. All found information has been based off of reliable sources that can be found at the bottom of each page, as well as the works cited page. If you want to locate a specific piece of information quickly, use the table of contents. To learn more about us or to contact us, check out the about us page. Have fun learning!
Introduction to Chemical WeaponsWorld War One saw many technological advances, which is why it laid the foundation for all modern war after it. Many remember chemical weapons as a key point of WWI. While they might not have taken as many lives as disease, artillery, aerial warfare, or machine guns, it was truly horrific and just the idea of what chemical weapons are capable of terrified people. Armies would mix up dangerous chemicals such as chlorine, phosgene, or sulfur and compact it in artillery shells. They would launch the shells at each other, letting free the lethal gas for the opposing troops to inhale. Soldiers would die from asphyxiation, their lungs would fill with liquids, their mouths would foam, and their skin would melt and distort. Since then, chemical weapons have been abhorred and banned worldwide, but it's still an important part of our history. This website will educate you on it's history in WWI, how these gasses work, how it affects us physiologically, and more.
This answer is a collaboration between Cali S, Ross K, Averi F, and Ricky M. |
|
Driving Question: How can biology affect the outcome of a war?Chemical weapons impacted WWI by exposing the fact that the war needed to end. Chemical warfare directly correlates with biology; its purpose is to manipulate our respiratory system, (our own biology,) to cause death. The horror of chemical warfare helped the public realize that the war was terrible, and it may not have ended as soon as it did. People thought that the weapons being used would shorten the war but in reality it lengthened it by giving all sides better technology and weaponry to fight each other, which made them much more resilient which lengthened the war to a 4-year war. It ended with the armistice: a mutual agreement to stop fighting. This may not have happened as soon as it did if the biology of chemical weapons had not helped each country see that the war was absolutely terrible.
|
|
|
WWI Games and Simulators:
This page is by Ross K.