The First World War was a cataclysm that disrupted countless lives. As a modern, total war, it brought men and women into active battle zones across Europe as well as in parts of Africa and Asia. New technology further extended the borders of the war. <span>Air power </span>made it possible to launch attacks against civilian populations at some distance from traditional frontlines, and U-boats sank passenger ships, such as the Lusitania in 1915, that were loaded with men, women, and children crossing the Atlantic. In addition, albeit with less novelty, invading armies ended up occupying swathes of territory. Civilian women and men in Belgium, the north and east of France, Serbia, and parts of the Russian empire among other locales came under the control of occupying powers.
The group included 120 wagons, about 1,000 people and thousands of livestock. Their trek began on May 22 and lasted five months. It effectively opened the floodgates of pioneer migration along the Oregon Trail and became known as the "Great Migration" of 1843.
