World War I, "The Great War," "The War to End All Wars," was a defining moment in the 20th century, changing the global balance of power and setting the course for future struggles. The conflict involved countries all around the globe making it truly the first time that the entire world was involved in a war. With no intention of becoming involved in this conflict, the United States government declared neutrality for more than 2 ½ years. By the time we entered the war in April 1917 massive political changes had taken place in Europe and the Middle East which would soon lead to changes in the US as well. When the hostilities began in the summer of 1914, they had all the appearances of a small local squabble limited to the Balkan Peninsula. Even the leaders of the major powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, Great Britain) did not initially realize that a cataclysm was unfolding. In total, approximately 65,000,000 men were mobilized; of these over 8,500,000 died. Total military casualties reached over 22,000,000. Millions of civilians, mainly women, children and the elderly, were also affected by the devastation brought on by war. As we commemorate the centenary of US involvement in the Great War, we will together examine and discuss what led to the war in 1914; what kind of fighting and weapons were utilized; how and when the United States became involved; life at the battle front and at the home front; peacemaking and post-war events; and the legacy of the Great War; all through the lens of American history and culture.        Kathie Johnson earned a BLS and a MA from the University of Louisville. She retired from UofL as an Associate Professor in 2015.  There she served as Archivist for Manuscript Collections at the University Archives and Records Center (1994-2013) and Archivist/Curator of the History Collections at the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library (1999-2015).