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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 







THE VICTORY MEDAL WHICH WIEE BE GIVEN TO 4,500,000 AMERICANS 



The large disc is the obverse of the medal, showing a winged Victory; the smaller shows 

 the reverse with the names of those nations which actually took part in hostile operations 

 against the Central Powers. The medal was designed by J. E. Fraser under the direction of 

 the Commission of Fine Arts (see text, pages 499 and 507). 



During the Middle Ages various or- 

 ders of knighthood flourished, and the 

 members were distinguished by insignia 

 worn to denote the order to which the 

 individual belonged, as well as the posi- 

 tion of influence and honor attained; but 

 these corresponded more nearly to the 

 modern insignia of rank and arm of serv- 

 ice than to medals given for services 

 rendered by the recipient. 



We must advance our historical re- 

 search to the time of Queen Elizabeth to 

 find the beginning of our modern system 

 of medals, and, inasmuch as the develop- 

 ment can be traced more easily in Eng- 

 land than elsewhere, a survey of the 

 growth of the British system will be given. 



In 1 588 Queen Elizabeth issued a medal 

 commonly known as the "Ark in Flood" 



on account of the design of the reverse, 

 which shows an ark floating on the 

 waves. It is uncertain for what particu- 

 lar service this medal was awarded, but 

 as that was the year of the destruction 

 of the Great Armada, and this was a 

 naval medal, it is not unreasonable to 

 suppose that it commemorated that 

 event. Some of these medals were in 

 gold and some in silver, and they were 

 provided with a ring for suspension, so 

 were evidently intended to be worn. 



Two other medals were struck in the 

 same reign to commemorate the victory 

 over Spain, but we have no information 

 as to the recipients of any of these three. 



Elizabeth's successor, James I, awarded 

 a medal to his distinguished naval com- 

 manders, and the unfortunate Charles I 



