University of Southern California: USC Digital Libraries digitizes rare, 100-year-old photos of Unknown Soldier’s burial

Veterans Day 2021 marks the centennial of the burial of the Unknown Soldier of World War I. USC Digital Library staff recently digitized a batch of rare images from 1921 related to the initial burial. They’re part of a Department of Defense-funded project, and they document the Unknown Soldier’s journey from Châlons-sur-Marne, France, to his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery.

The work is part of a five-year contract under which USC Libraries’ Digital Repository is digitizing a collection of media documenting more than 100 years of U.S. armed forces history.

“This collection represents more than a century of armed forces history that is essential to scholars of the military, politics, international relations, and so many other disciplines,” said Catherine Quinlan, dean of the USC Libraries.