PBS Explores ‘The Great War’: How WWI Changed Everything

World War I has been largely overshadowed in our collective consciousness by the horrors of World War II. The Great War, however, ushered in the modern era with its mechanized violence on a titanic scale—just one of the war’s many legacies with which we still live today. In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into the war on April 6, 1917, PBS’s The Great War will explore that legacy and more, revealing how World War I changed America and the world. The six-hour documentary draws on the latest scholarship, including unpublished diaries, memoirs, and letters to tell the rich and complex story of the conflict through the voices of the people—troops, nurses, journalists, and more—who experienced it firsthand. The series explores the experiences of unsung heroes, as well, the African-American and Latino soldiers, suffragists, and Native American “code talkers” whose crucial participation in the war to “make the world safe for democracy” has been largely forgotten. Don’t miss this fascinating look at the war that changed everything.

The Great War, a special 3-night event, continues tonight at 9/8c on PBS. Learn more pbs.org/thegreatwar