100px|Australian Imperial Force light horsemen, 1914
The use of horses in World War I reflected a transitional period in the evolution of armed conflict. Cavalry units were initially considered essential, but the vulnerability of the horse to modern machine gun and artillery fire eventually fostered interest in mechanized forces. All of the major combatants in World War I began the conflict with cavalry forces. Germany and Austria–Hungary stopped using them on the Western Front soon after the war began, but they continued to be deployed in a limited fashion on the Eastern Front well into the war. On the Allied side, the United Kingdom used mounted infantry and cavalry charges throughout the war, but the United States used cavalry for only a short time. Horses were mainly used for reconnaissance and for carrying messengers, as well as to pull artillery, ambulances, and supply wagons. The presence of horses often increased morale among the soldiers at the front, but contributed to disease and poor sanitation in camps. The value of horses was such that by 1917 it was made known to some troops that the loss of a horse was of greater tactical concern than the loss of a human soldier. Ultimately, the Allied blockade prevented the Central Powers from importing horses to replace those lost, which contributed to Germany's defeat. (more...)
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
762:
Al-Mansur, the Caliph of Islam, founded the city of Baghdad to be the capital of the Islamic empire under the Abbasids. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Baghdad
1811:
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla , an early leader of the Mexican War of Independence, was executed by Spanish authorities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Hidalgo_y_Costilla
1865:
Off the coast of Crescent City, California, the steamship Brother Jonathan, carrying a large shipment of gold coins that would not be retrieved until 1996, struck an uncharted rock and sank, killing 225 people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Jonathan_%28steamer%29
1930:
Uruguay defeated Argentina, 4–2, in front of their home crowd at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo to win the first Football World Cup. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_FIFA_World_Cup
2006:
Lebanon War: The Israeli Air Force attacked a three-story building near the South Lebanese village of Qana, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qana_airstrike
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
gravid (adj): Pregnant (now especially of animals) http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gravid
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
With wide-embracing love
Thy Spirit animates eternal years, Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.
Though earth and moon were gone, And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou wert left alone, Every existence would exist in Thee.
There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void: Thou — THOU art Being and Breath,
And what THOU art may never be destroyed. --Emily Brontë http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emily_Bront%C3%AB