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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On this day in 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo -
The Archduke's Franz Ferdinand's wife was killed
On July 28, 1914, one month to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, effectively beginning the First World War -
Germany Declares war on Russia
Germany declares war on France, and invades neutral Belgium. Britain then sends an ultimatum, rejected by the Germans, to withdraw from Belgium. -
Germany declares war on France
Germany declares war on France, and invades neutral Belgium. Britain then sends an ultimatum, rejected by the Germans, to withdraw from Belgium. -
British Troops land in France
The first British troops land in France. The 120,000 highly trained members of the regular British Army form the British Expeditionary Force commanded by Field Marshal John French -
War is declared on Austria-Hungary
August 12, 1914 - Great Britain and France declare war on Austria-Hungary. Serbia is invaded by Austria-Hungary. -
Japan declares war
Japan declares war on Germany. The Japanese then prepare to assist the British in expelling the Germans from the Far East. -
Austria Invades Serbia
This is the third attempt to conquer the Serbs in retaliation for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This attempt fails like the two before it, at the hands of highly motivated Serbs fighting on their home ground. -
British war zone
Germany declares the waters surrounding British Isles to be a war zone in which ships can be sunk without warning. -
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust, was the Ottoman government's systematic extermination of 1.5 million Armenians, mostly citizens within the Ottoman Empire -
Treaty of London
The treaty was signed in London on 26 April 1915 by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the French Third Republic, the Russian Empire, and the Kingdom of Italy. -
Lusitania Sinks
On the afternoon of May 7, 1915, the British ocean liner Lusitania is torpedoed without warning by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland. -
Battle of Somme
The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and France against the German Empire -
Battle of Verdun
The Kingdom of Poland was proclaimed by a joint act of the emperors of Germany and Austria-Hungary. -
Battle of Rafa
The Battle of Rafa, also known as the Action of Rafah, fought on 9 January 1917, was the third and final battle to complete the recapture of the Sinai Peninsula by British forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. -
Declaration of war
In 1917 President Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war. On April 2, 1917, the press reported that President Woodrow Wilson had asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. -
U.S enters World War I
On April 6, 1917, the United States formally declared war against Germany and entered the conflict in Europe. Fighting since the summer of 1914, Britain, France, and Russia welcomed news that American troops and supplies would be directed toward the Allied war effort. -
American Troops land in France
Greece declares war on the Central Powers, following the abdication of pro-German King Constantine who is replaced by a pro-Allied administration led by Prime Minister Venizelos. -
Pravda
Pravda calls for the killing of all capitalists, priests and officers -
The village of Passchendaele is captured by Canadian troops
The Allied offensive then ceases, bringing the Third Battle of Ypres to an end with no significant gains amid 500,000 casualties experienced by all sides. -
Fourteen Points
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson outlined the United States' war aims in a speech given to Congress on 8 January, 1918, in which he outlined what was to become known as his "Fourteen Points" -
USS Cyclops
Named for the Cyclops, a primordial race of giants from Greek mythology, she was the second U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name -
Armistice of November 11th
World War I between the Allies and their opponent, Germany. Previous armistices had eliminated Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire -
Paris Peace Conference
leaders from the Allied nations began a series of discussions that became known as the Paris Peace Conference to settle issues raised by the war and its aftermath. -
Treaty of Versailles,
On June 28, 1919, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, officially ending its involvement in World War I. .