![Thursday marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, and some of the innovations that were developed or came into wide use during the conflict are still with us today. (Photo by Provincial Archives of Alberta (12 Platoon, 194th Battalion on parade in Edmonton) [No restrictions])](https://canadianinquirer.net/v1/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/12_Platoon_194th_Battalion_on_parade_in_Edmonton_14889683719.jpg)
![Provincial Archives of Alberta (12 Platoon, 194th Battalion on parade in Edmonton) [No restrictions]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A12_Platoon%2C_194th_Battalion_on_parade_in_Edmonton_(14889683719).jpg){kind=link}
Thursday marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, and some of the innovations that were developed or came into wide use during the conflict are still with us today.
America entered nearly three years after the war began, joining Britain, France and Russia in the fight against Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When it ended on Nov. 11, 1918, more than 4.7 million Americans served and some 115,000 died.
The world’s first mechanized war introduced enhanced weaponry and equipment, most of it designed to take lives but some of it aimed at saving lives.