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Archduke Francis Ferdinand is assassinated.
In june of 1914, Archduke Francis was assassinated because he was perceived as a threat to the Serbian Independence, this set off a chain of events leading to war. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary felt the need to assert its dominance and set out to punish Serbia. This was encouraged by Germany, as they were allies. -
Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium.
The German Army invaded Belgium, violating a treaty that the German chancellor dismissed. The invaders terrorized the Belgian citizens, with various acts of violence. The two countries refused free passage to the German troops and were invaded on August 2nd and August 4th. -
Austria-Hungary invades Russia.
Austria-Hungary invades Russia after they declared war on Serbia, Russians joined because they had an alliance. This meant that Austro-Hungarian Forces needed to defend or attack Russia as a result. In addition to this, Austria Hungary was part of the Central Powers and had an alliance with Germany which they honored. -
Germany begins naval blockade of Great Britain.
Britain's blockade across the North Sea and the English Channel cut the currency of war supplies, food, and fuel into Germany during World War I, the result of this was Germany using its submarines to destroy neutral ships that were supplying the Allies.On 4 February 1915, Germany declared a war zone around Britain, angering the United States because it is seen as unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Allied forces land on the Gallipoli Peninsula of the Ottoman Empire.
Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Ottoman Turkey, The Gallipoli campaign was the land-based element of a strategy that intended to let Allied ships pass through the Dardanelles and capture Constantinople. The goal of this was to take Ottoman Turkey completely out of the war as well. -
German submarine sinks the passenger liner Lusitania.
The Lusitania was carrying a cargo of approximately 173 tons of rifle ammunition and shells, and the Germans circulated warnings that the ship would be sunk. Following these warnings, they felt themselves it was justified in attacking a vessel that was carrying the war aims of their enemy. -
Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.
The Emperor's obstinacy caused Italy to enter the war as an enemy of the Danube Monarchy. When Italy joined sides with the Triple Entente, they had the understanding that the Allies would seek to provide Italy with large territorial gains at the cost of Austria-Hungary. -
Germany begins the attack on Verdun.
The attack was planned by the German Chief of General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, in order to secure victory for Germany on the Western Front. The goal was to crush the French army before the Allies grew in strength through the deployment of British forces, the German army pounded the forts and trenches with artillery fire. -
Allied offensive begins the Battle of the Somme.
Following the week long artillery bombardment of the German lines, British troops found that the German defences had not been destroyed as they expected and several units suffered very high casualties with little progress. Being one of the largest battles in WW1, the combination of the small battlefield, destructive modern weaponry and failures by British military leaders led to the slaughter of approximately 300.000 people. -
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare is a form of land warfare in which long, narrow trenches are dug into the ground at the front, typically by the infantry soldiers occupying them for weeks at a time. Poor living conditions in these trenches affected soldiers, with issues such as trench fever (an infection caused by louse faeces) and trench foot, which would sometimes lead to amputation. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a decrypted coded German telegram from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann, intended for Germany's ambassador to Mexico. Threats to the United States found in the telegram pitted the American public opinion against Germany and helped convince Congress to declare war against Germany. -
The United States declares war on Germany.
President Woodrow Wilson asked for a joint session of the United States Congress for a declaration of war against the German Empire, in response to this Congress responded with the declaration on April 6th. Germany's submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 was a leading cause behind the decision to lead the United States into World War I. -
American combat forces arrive in France with General John J. Pershing.
John J. Pershing and his staff arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe, this arrival was significant because served as a symbol to the British and French and thousands of Americans were serving in Allied Uniforms. -
President Woodrow Wilson presents his 14 Points
During a speech before Congress, Woodrow Wilson laid out his “14 Points" plan, which was a blueprint for ending World War I emphasizing “national self-determination” for both all sized nations and included the creation of a cooperative League of Nations to resolve any possible future disagreements or disputes. -
American women recruited to serve as bilingual telephone operators for the AEF arrive in Europe.
In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women to France to work as telephone operators and help win the Great War. The women worked in Paris as well as dozens of other locations throughout both England and France. -
Allied forces begin the attack at Meuse-Argonne, the final offensive of the war.
At dawn on the 26th, General Pershing's troops launched an attack directed along the Meuse River and into northern France's rugged Argonne Forest. This attack helped bring an end to the War and was fought from September 26th to November 11, 1918, when the armistice was signed. -
The Use of chemical weapons in WW1
During World War 1, chemical weapons such as chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas were prevalent and resulted in more than 1.3 million casualties by November 11, 1918. Mustard gas was introduced by the Germans in 1917, causing blistering to the skin, eyes, and lungs, as well as death. Military strategists defended the use of poison gas by saying it saved lives in offensives. The Germans produced 68,000 tons of gas, the French producing around 36,000 tons and the British with around 25,000 tons. -
Germany signs the Armistice.
The Armistice was signed at 5:00 a.m. by the Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch, with other Allies and German officials inside of Foch's private railway car in Compagnie, France. Part of the Armistice asks that all German Navy vessels were disarmed and moved to neutral ports. -
British and American forces enter Germany.
The British and Americans crossed the border into the Rhineland, The British crossed near Eupen and the Americans entered Trier at 5:30 AM. -
Peace conference begins at Paris (Versailles).
The Paris Peace Conference was the international meeting establishing the terms of peace after World War I. Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of the U.S. all attended in Paris. -
Draft of the League of Nations is completed.
Under Wilson's leadership, the conference drew up a document in a few days of intensive committee work, then called the Covenant of the League of Nations. This text was published as a draft in February 1919. -
United States Senate fails to ratify Treaty of Versailles.
The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended World War I. A major cause of this was President Woodrow Wilson's failure to take senators' objections to the agreement into consideration, for the first time a peace treaty was rejected by Senate. -
Treaty of Versailles in Europe takes effect!
The Treaty of Versailles, which established the terms for peace at the end of World War I, was signed on June 28th, 1919, by the Allied and associated powers and by Germany in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles and then it went into effect on January 10, 1920.