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Trench Warfare
warfare in which opposing armed forces attack, counterattack, and defend from relatively permanent systems of trenches dug into the ground -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Telegram of Austria-Hungary`s declaration of war on Serbia on 28th July 1914 marked the beginning of the First World War – one of the world's most tragic conflicts in the history of the human race and initiated the era of unprecedented suffering. -
Austria-Hungary invades Russia.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. Ferdinand was chosen as a target because he was to be the heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. -
Archduke Francis Ferdinand is assassinated
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Germany begins naval blockade of Great Britain
Germany declared a war zone around Britain, within which merchant ships were sunk without warning. This 'unrestricted submarine warfare' angered neutral countries, especially the United States. -
Allied forces land on the Gallipoli Peninsula of the Ottoman Empire.
Allied troops landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Ottoman Turkey. The Gallipoli campaign was the land-based element of a strategy intended to allow Allied ships to pass through the Dardanelles, capture Constantinople (now Istanbul) and ultimately knock Ottoman Turkey out of the war. -
German submarine sinks the passenger liner Lusitania.
the German submarine (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania, a swift-moving British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. -
Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.
In March 1915 Sonnino began serious negotiations with London and France . The Treaty of London was signed on 26 April 1915 and Italy declared war against Austria-Hungary -
American combat forces arrive in France with General John J. Pershing
after the United States entered World War I, Gen. John J. Pershing arrived in France with his staff to establish American forces in Europe -
Germany begins the attack on Verdun.
the German army began pounding the forts and trenches with artillery fire. 1,200 guns smashed the French positions. -
Allied offensive begins the Battle of the Somme
after a week-long artillery bombardment of the German lines. Advancing British troops found that the German defences had not been destroyed as expected and many units suffered very high casualties with little progress. The Somme became an attritional or 'wearing-out' battle. -
Zimmerman Telegram
ritish cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister to Mexico, Heinrich von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. -
The United States declares war on Germany
President Woodrow Wilson asked a special joint session of the United States Congress for a declaration of war against the German Empire. -
American women recruited to serve as bilingual telephone operators for the AEF arrive in Europe.
American women recruited to serve as bilingual telephone operators for the AEF arrive in Europe. -
President Woodrow Wilson presents his 14 Points
an ambitious blueprint for ending World War I that emphasized “national self-determination” for both small and large nations, and included the creation of a cooperative League of Nations to peaceably resolve all future disputes. -
Allied forces begin the attack at Meusse-Argonne, the final offensive of the war.
General Pershing's troops launched an attack along the Meuse River and into northern France's rugged Argonne Forest that would prove to be the deadliest battle in American history. -
Use of chemical weapons
the use of chemical weapons such as chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas had resulted in more than 1.3 million casualties and approximately 90 000 deaths -
Germany signs the Armistice
The Armistice was signed at 5:00 a.m. by Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch, along with other Allies and Germany, inside of Foch's private railway car at Compagnie, France. -
British and American forces enter Germany.
British and American forces enter Germany. -
Peace conference begins at Paris (Versailles).
The Paris Peace Conference was an international meeting convened in January 1919 at Versailles just outside Paris. The purpose of the meeting was to establish the terms of the peace after World War. -
Draft of the League of Nations is completed.
With the ground thus well prepared, and under Wilson's resolute leadership, the conference was able to draw up, in a few days of intensive committee work, a document which it called the Covenant of the League of Nations. -
Treaty of Versailles in Europe takes effect.
the controversial Treaty of Versailles — which established the terms for peace at the end of World War I — went into effect -
United States Senate fails to ratify Treaty of Versailles.
the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended World War I, in part because President Woodrow Wilson had failed to take senators' objections to the agreement into consideration. -
Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium
On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. Luxembourg was occupied that same day. The Netherlands surrendered on 15 May, and Belgium on the 28th.