The Forgotten Incident That Helped Suck The US Into WWI
Not the Zimmermann telegram or the Lusitania
There are two big misconceptions surrounding the United States’ entry into the Great War. First, most people believe that the United States was truly neutral during the first few years of the war. The United States was neutral on paper, but in practice, they were funneling money and supplies to their allies in Europe. Second, most people assume that the Zimmermann telegram blunder or the sinking of American merchant shipping was to blame for the American people finally coming around to the idea of fighting a land war in Europe. While both of those things played a part, they don’t paint a complete picture.
But there is another incident that unfolded in July of 1916 that has largely been forgotten by the American public. On July 30th, 1916, one of the largest human-caused explosions in history rocked New York City. The blast was so powerful it damaged the Statue of Liberty. The explosion is known as the Black Tom explosion, and it was a pivotal part of the run-up to the American entry into World War I.
