World War I Podcast

In 1915, as World War I reshaped global politics and strained international ties, two world’s fairs opened in the United States with the bold promise of celebrating cooperation, innovation, and peace. Yet behind the grand pavilions and idealized “avenues of nations,” the war was already altering who could participate, how the fairs presented themselves, and what they ultimately came to represent. The fairs of 1915 - one in San Francisco, the other in San Diego - became unexpected reflections ...

Many leaders during World War II were shaped by their service in World War I. Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King was no exception. During World War II, King held the unprecedented dual role of Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet, and Chief of Naval Operations. As the U.S. Navy’s senior operational leader, King directed U.S. Navy planning, operations, and administration during that war. But what do we know about his World War I service? And how did those early experiences influence his leadership and str...

On Monday, July 13, 2026, the MacArthur Memorial hosted a virtual event featuring Adin Dobkin, author of Sprinting Through No Man’s Land: Endurance, Tragedy, and Rebirth in the 1919 Tour de France. Just months after the end of World War I, cyclists raced across a devastated France - navigating ruined roads, shattered infrastructure, and the deep scars of war. This grueling Tour became a powerful symbol of rebirth - for both the sport and for France. Dobkin explored this pivotal Tour and...

In this latest episode of the World War I Podcast, we are joined by Lillian Pfluke, a retired U.S. Army major and a member of the pioneering first class of women to graduate from West Point in 1980. After her military career, she spent ten years working for the American Battle Monuments Commission as the Private Memorials Administrator of the European Region before founding American War Memorials Overseas, an organization dedicated to identifying and preserving the thousands of U.S. war memor...

In the history of the United States, 31 of 45 presidents have served in the military, with two dozen of them serving during wartime. Yet only one president was a combat veteran of World War I: Harry S. Truman. The war shaped an entire generation of leaders, and Truman often said his service profoundly influenced his life and leadership. To explore Truman’s World War I service and its impact, the World War I Podcast hosted Mark Adams, Director of the Truman Presidential Library and Museum.&nbs...