America's official museum dedicated to World War I opened in 2006. The new subterranean facility tells the story of the war and related global events from their origins before 1914 through the 1918 Armistice and 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Visitors enter the museum across the Paul Sunderland glass bridge, spanning a field of 9,000 poppies, each representing 1,000 combatant deaths.
In the museum are memory and exhibit halls with state of the art interactive displays. Deeply personal stories of courage, honor, patriotism, and sacrifice are shared through historical objects, photographs, and eyewitness accounts, taking the visitor on an epic journey through this transformative time in our world's history.
Viewed from the north lawn, the Great Frieze depicts progress from war to peace. Sculpted by Edmond Amateis, it is one of the largest such carvings in the world, measuring 148' long by 18' tall.
In all, 36 nations took up arms in the the world's first global conflict. 65 million men and women served in the military. More than 9 million died.
Trivia: James Montgomery Flagg painted a self-portrait of Uncle Sam in 1917, creating probably the most recognizable poster from the war.
