There was a lot more than art in Southwest Minnesota State University’s Whipple art gallery the last two Wednesdays.

On Wednesday, Sept. 17 and Wednesday, Sept. 24 Dr.’s of history Michael Hofstetter and James Zarzana gave presentations on the history, destruction, politics and events of the First World War. Chairs were set up in the Whipple gallery along with a powerpoint presentation the professors used for maps and other visual aids.

The first presentation was focused on the events and politics leading up to the spark of the First World War, which is commonly attributed to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The presentation touched on the alliances that dragged so many countries into the conflict along with the regional tensions and other smaller factors that lead the entire continent of Europe to erupt into war over a century ago.

The second presentation, occurring on Sept. 27, covered the tactics and weaponry of the war. The presentation mentioned such aspects as the rifles and weaponry at the time, the terrible chemical warfare that was utilized during the war and the horrific details of trench warfare.

Each presentation was also given at the Marshall public library on separate dates.