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Posted by: Ryan Moore
In World War I, the detail and accuracy of maps improved rapidly over the course of a few years and greatly enhanced the power of military forces. Maps, however, were only as good as those interpreting them, and failures in map usage resulted in massive casualties, which ranged from tens to hundreds of thousands. An …
Posted in: Events, Military History
Posted by: Ryan Moore
The German act of terrorism on Black Tom Island was one of a series of events that came to a head with the infamous Zimmermann Telegram and pushed America to declare war on Germany in April 1917. These hostile acts fueled anti-German hysteria that was so great that nearly all aspects of life associated with …
Posted in: Military History
Posted by: Ryan Moore
On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on the German Empire, bringing the country into the world’s deadliest and most destructive up that point in history. The Great War, as it was called at the time, started in 1914 and ended with an armistice on November 11, 1918. More than 38 million civilians …
Posted in: Military History, Reference Guides
Posted by: Ryan Moore
Bob Crozier served as a Technical Sergeant in the 654th Topographic Engineers from 1943 to 1946. Crozier was part of the American First Army under General Omar Bradley. He donated a collection of photos and maps created during World War II to the Geography and Map Division. The collection consists of a 36-page booklet that …
Posted in: Military History
Posted by: Ryan Moore
During World War I, Germany laid more than 43,000 mines that claimed some 500 merchant vessels. The British Navy lost 44 warships and 225 auxiliaries to mines. The purpose was to interrupt the flow of supplies to Britain and to hamper the British fleet. Mines were most often set near harbors and inlets, as these …
Posted in: Military History
Posted by: Ryan Moore
Today’s post is from Ryan Moore, a Cartographic Specialist in the Geography and Map Division. Cornelius Mahoney “Neil” Sheehan (1936- ) is a journalist best known for his reporting on the Pentagon Papers, a secret Department of Defense study of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Sheehan, when working as a reporter for The New York …
Posted in: Biography, Manuscripts, Military History
Posted by: Ryan Moore
In 1915, the deadlocked battleground on the Western Front in World War I forced England and France to rethink their strategy against the Central Powers. The Allies sought to elicit military support from a then neutral Italy. In exchange for opening a front in the Alps, Italy was promised substantial amounts land in Europe, Asia, …
Posted in: Borders, Guest Posts, Military History
Posted by: Ryan Moore
The North Korean capital city Pyongyang has both a storied and troubled history. Among the reasons it fascinates, plain curiosity rises to the top of list, because the North Korean government has largely closed off the country from the rest of world since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Correspondingly, accurate maps of …
Posted in: Asian History, Borders, City Histories
Posted by: Ryan Moore
Today’s guest post is by Ryan Moore, a Cartographic Specialist in the Geography and Map Division. Mr. Moore earned a Master’s degree in History from Cleveland State University and a Master’s of Library Science from Kent State University. He is the chief editor and a contributor for the Division’s journal, The Occasional Papers. He teaches …
Posted in: Big Data and Visualization, Borders, Events, Geographic Information Science