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Location: WW1 Memorial, Jackson, Mississippi
Carrying the Legacy Forward
The story of the First World War 1914-1918 is not just a chapter in history — it is a living legacy that continues to influence and have impact on our world. At World War One Studies (WWOS), we believe that understanding this era helps us better understand the continuing effects on the world we’ve built since.
WWOS was founded on a simple but powerful idea: that history becomes truly meaningful when people are inspired to explore it, question it, and share what they discover. We encourage students, educators, and independent researchers to engage deeply with the people and events of what was initially called the Great War in Europe and then became the World War.
Our mission is to promote education, remembrance, and reflection on the greatest man-made disaster of the 20th century.
We do this by providing free open access to a growing range of historical resources including the vast online archives of worldwar1.com, weekly summaries of the Roads to the Great War daily blog, genealogical tools and scholar-reviewed educational publications.
With your donations and purchases of special WWOS merchandise we can expand our outreach through conferences, unique events, and educational programs.
The People Who Made This Possible
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Before she died in late 2024, Leonard Shurtleff’s widow Christine contacted Len’s colleague and friend Graydon Tunstall to ask his help to set up and endow a nonprofit educational organization that would encourage and support students and scholars to research and create projects about the First World War. Jack founded World War One Studies in 2024 and the website was established in late 2025.
Jack Tunstall is a U.S. Army Vietnam era veteran (4/7 cavalry regiment), university teacher, and author of numerous books and articles on World War One’s Eastern Front. For many years, he was Executive Director of the Phi Alpha Theta history honors society. Notifications of available grants should be directed to president@worldwaronestudies.org.
Graydon A. (Jack) Tunstall, Jr.
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Ambassador Shurtleff served from 1962 to 1995 in the United States Foreign Service in Africa and Latin America as well as in several Washington assignments. Len was president of the Western Front Association United States Branch as well as its successor the World War One Historical Association. In 1999 he helped set up the Tomlinson Prize Award for the best books in English on First World War topics and Len hoped to expand its influence by including research projects by students, scholars, and enthusiasts. A generous endowment by Len’s widow Christine, herself a former Foreign Service officer, helped establish World War One Studies to accomplish Len’s vision.
Leonard G. Shurtleff
The World War One Studies website incorporates the extensive archival materials gathered by the late Michael Iavarone who created the award-winning comprehensive Internet History of the Great War in the 1990s. Mike saw the web’s potential as an educational tool and applied his talents in computer science to build a tremendously popular free online archive using his own research as well as letters, artifacts, and documents sent to him from scholars and enthusiasts all around the world. Mike was recognized in a documentary on World War One produced by the History Channel (now called History.com).
With the approval of Mike’s widow Adrienne, his legacy is now maintained and continuously expanded by WWOS in his honor.