Dispatches

University of Utah military historian Professor John Reed will take a critical look at the political division of the world following World War I, including  the effect of the war on the Middle East, when the Fort Douglas Military Museum hosts a military history symposium on Saturday.

“The division of the Ottoman Empire’s periphery into European spheres of influence certainly ranks as a major factor in the making of the modern Middle East,” said Reed, who will deliver the day’s opening presentation.

“Yesterday’s history is today’s reality,” said Bob Voyles, executive director of the museum, which will also host an exhibit of images captured by Salt Lake Tribune photographer Rick Egan during a 2005 assignment in Iraq.

In another discussion likely relevant to today’s world, experts will speak about the “Spanish flu” epidemic of 1918 that claimed more than 30 million lives worldwide.

Utah Historical Quarterly associate editor Kristen Rogers will discuss the imprisonment of several hundred German-American civilians in World War I prisoner-of-war camps, including at Fort Douglas.

“Most of these men were never given a reason for their arrest,” Rogers said. “In fact, rumors, hysteria and prejudice had landed them at Fort Douglas; the only mistake that most of the prisoners had made was to be living in this country when the United States went to war with Germany.”

Events begin at 8 a.m. Registration, including lunch, is $20. For more information or reservations e-mail admin@fortdouglas.org or call 801-581-1251.