With the British blockade starving Germany, the German government held that up as a justification for their submarine campaign against merchant ships supplying Great Britain. President Wilson declared the British blockade to be entirely acceptable and once again demanded that Germany cease their actions. With each merchant vessel sunk, public opinion continued to shift in favor of War, and Wilson finally managed to push Congress into voting for it.
By the Twenty-First Century, we were finally starting to use basic genetic sciences. Nothing compared to what the Peloran brought of course, but those could afford it finally began to fill their organ banks with stuff grown from their own cells. Only the rich could afford that though. Everyone else had to deal with scraps. Still it was a pretty big boost to the lifespan for the rich and famous. It’s easy to live a long time with young and healthy organs.
The early Terran AIs understood humanity enough to know that you feared the unknown. Sometimes they found people who would welcome them as friends. They drove some fast cars, amazing trucks and flew spiffy aircraft. Of course they were never the official people in control. Usually they just lived under the radar and tried not to be noticed. The electronic webs that encircled Earth allowed them to go anywhere, see anything. It was a good life for most of them.
The sinking of the RMS Lusitania by a German submarine changed World War I. Though carrying ammunition to support The War effort, it also carried nearly 2,000 passengers and crew, most of whom died. This incensed the British and Americans, but most Americans still wanted no involvement in The War. Unable to swing opinion towards War, President Wilson sent multiple demands that the Germans cease all actions against mercantile shipping.
I know people don’t always believe me, but there was actually a time when organ banks relied on people dying. A lot more people died back in those days of course, so there was a ready supply of bodies. And many of them were registered donors. That means they were willing to let people harvest their organs if they died. Yes. Lots of people were walking around with the heart or lungs someone else used until the day they died. Thank God we got modern technology.