Sunday, May 6, 2012

This Day in History May 7, 1915

There are so many disasters that I have been featuring lately, but it just seems that all the disasters in the world come at once.  And this is a disaster that definitely bears being featured.  It was on this date in 1915 that the U.S. found a reason to enter WWI (but it was two years before they did). And what was the reason?

The British ship called the Lusitania made its first voyage in 1907.  The British wanted it to be a ship that would serve the war efforts.  A warning had been issued by the Germans on May 1, 1915, and it concerned passenger ships just like the Lusitania.  And it was on this very day, this ship left New York City for Liverpool with 1959 passengers and crew aboard (and hidden ammunition).  They were certain they could outrun any German submarine.

On this date in 1915, there was fog that prevented the ship from going full speed.  Once the ship entered the Irish Sea, it was doomed.  There was a German submarine waiting for it.  And about 2:00 P.M., it was torpedoed.  And it exploded.  Within 18 minutes, it had sunk, and 1924 died--114 were Americans.

For more information, please check out:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpwwi2.htm
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-This-Day--Germany-Sinks-British-Liner-Lusitania.html

1 comment:

  1. I don't know if I ever knew of this disaster. It seems we learn some of these events in school and then just forget about them. 1924 people dead, how horrible. Thank you for teaching me something and for remembering those that were effected by this tragedy.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Your Ad Here