When we heard this years NHD theme, we pondered it for a while.

What event was a major turning point that altered the course of, not just American history, but world history? Numerous turning points in succession often can be referred to as the domino effect. What better example of the domino effect is there than WWI? Every event had an impact upon the next. The topic of WWI itself is too broad, so instead we asked: why did we even fight in this massive conflict? The answer lay in the sinking of the Lusitania. On May 7, 1915, torpedoes from a German U-20 submarine sunk the commercial ship, the RMS Lusitania, off the coast of Ireland, killing 128 Americans. The sinking of the ship stirred feelings of resentment among Americans towards Germany, and drastically altered Americas stance from being isolationist to being actively involved. The attack on the Lusitania sowed the seeds to America's entrance into World War I and had consequences that spanned the rest of the century. We began our research by entering the topic into the Google search bar to get a better understanding of it. After a basic understanding was generated, we began to question: why? Instead of focusing on the well-known facts, we began to focus on the behind-the-scenes events. The first step -scour the library for books not only about the Lusitania, but WWI and the 20th century in general. We came to realize that the effects of the Lusitania werent just felt on the night of the sinking -- to grasp the full breadth of it, we needed to extrapolate our research into the events of the 20th century in general. Gaining comprehension of the tragedy, the reactions it elicited from a myriad of people, and the long-term implications of the event, was our objective in our research. When we began our work, it was always evident that we would be creating a website. In our group, we were meticulous at researching enabling us to find many primary sources. This skill assisted us in finding quotes and pictures from newspaper articles and other things necessary for the completion of our project. There are many different aspects to our project including, as mentioned earlier, the consequences of the domino effect. As a result, we needed something visually appealing that would help us organize our information. A website was the best choice, and seemed to suit our project needs most appropriately. Our project revolves around the NHD theme--Turning Points in History. The sinking of the Lusitania enraged the public and caused propaganda to emerge as an appeal towards America to enter war. World War I set the stage for the twentieth century, leading to the Great Depression, instigating

Hitlers rise to power -- and thus the WWII. No other war altered the map of Europe so dramatically. Four empires fell: German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian. Almost 14,000 Americans perished, with a worldwide total of approximately 16 million deaths. Had America remained neutral, would Hitler have risen? If it werent for the Lusitanias sinking leading to the Americas entering war, the entire twentieth century of not just American history, but world history, may very well have been altered.