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The end of World War I in 1918 marked the conclusion of one of the deadliest and most destructive conflicts in human history.

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 The end of World War I in 1918 marked the conclusion of one of the deadliest and most destructive conflicts in human history.  The war, which began in 1914, involved most of the world’s great powers and resulted in the deaths of millions of soldiers and civilians. By 1918, the Central Powers, led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire, were on the brink of collapse, facing internal unrest, military defeats, and economic exhaustion. The final phase of the war was shaped by the entry of the United States in 1917, which provided the Allies with fresh troops, financial resources, and a morale boost, tipping the balance of power. In the spring of 1918, Germany launched a series of desperate offensives on the Western Front, hoping to secure victory before American forces arrived in full strength. Despite early gains, these offensives were eventually repelled by the Allies, who launched a counteroffensive, known as the Hundred Days Offensive, beginning in August 1918. T...
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THE DAY WASHINGTON BIT OFF MORE THAN HE COULD CHEW (HOUSE)**

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 **THE DAY WASHINGTON BIT OFF MORE THAN HE COULD CHEW (HOUSE)** On Sept. 26, 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia after defeating Washington’s army at Branywine and Paoli. Washington was itching for some payback and decided to roll the dice with the Battle of Trenton as his template. When he learned that Gen. William Howe had divided his army between Philadelphia and Germantown, he decided to attack. Germantown was 7 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Washington’s plan called for four columns to converge on the British. The several columns approach had worked at Trenton, but mainly from luck. Washington had a weakness in making overly complex plans that had a lot of moving parts. He ran out of luck at Germantown. Washington divided his regulars between Gen. Nathanael Greene and Gen. John Sullivan. Their columns would make a frontal attack and militia would attack both British flanks. On Oct. 3, the army began its night march of 16 miles. The next morning at 5:30, Sullivan’s column...
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After returning from the war in Europe,

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 After returning from the war in Europe, actor turned war hero Colonel Jimmy Stewart chats on the phone in his father’s hardware store while his father speaks with a customer in 1945. Besides all the usual hardware goods, the store also boasted the actor turned war hero’s “Philadelphia Story” Oscar on display. Stewart won his Oscar for his work in the Philidelphia Story prior to joining the war effort. After taking the award in 1940, his father phoned him and said “I hear you won some kind of award. What was it a plaque or something? Well, you better bring it back here and we’ll put it in the window of the store.” The Oscar would be displayed there for 25 years alongside other family awards and military medals. Stewart would become the first major American movie star to enlist in the United States Army to fight in World War II and was one of very few Americans to rise from the rank of Private to Colonel in less than five years. As a result of the 20 combat missions he flew over Ger...
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