World War I is often called “The Forgotten War.” It was supposed to be the Granddaddy of them all, but was quickly overshadowed by its nasty successor, World War II.
World War II, as we all know, was a much better war when it comes to cool war things: a more evil enemy, more sophisticated weaponry, phenomenal battles, horrendous carnage, and tons more video and photographic footage. In short, World War II was a much better sound bite.
In a rush to not be forgotten, however, a National World War I Museum was just opened this past weekend honoring the 2 million Americans who served in this most horrific affair. The $26 million museum is located at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City and is sadly the first of its kind in the United States.
Visitors will be greeted with a host of weaponry from the era, “rare film footage,” and an interactive center to help hammer home lessons from the war which we’ve obviously not learned yet.
In addition, 9,000 red poppies decorate the exterior of the museum and look quite lovely until you realize that each one represents 1,000 combat deaths.