Susan R. Grayzel, Professor of History, Utah State University

Lethal chemical warfare entered the modern era in 1915. Though denounced as horrific, all sides participating in the First World War utilized chemical arms, and in 1939, the British government was testing gas masks on Indian civilian women. In this talk, Susan R. Grayzel will explore the complex legacy of World War I through a focus on the development of civil defense, especially the gas mask, designed to protect every man, woman, and child from the terrifying new weapons that this war unleashed.

Sponsored by the History Department and the Dresher Center for the Humanities.