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Russia Mobilizes
Russia mobilizes its vast army to intervene against Austria-Hungary in favor of its ally, Serbia. -
The Assassination of the Archduke
The Archduke France Ferdinand is assassinated by a 19 year old, Gavrilo Princip of the black hand. -
World War l begins
Germany invades Belgium, beginning World Warl -
The Lusitania Sinks and The Germans Limit Submarines
A submarine is sinks the Lusitania which was carrying 1198 people and 128 of them were Americans, this submarine was controlled by the Germans. reacting to its sinking the Kaiser willhelm suspends unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Germans fire
The Germans fire shells filled with chlorine gas at allied lines. This is the first time that large amounts of gas are used in battle, and the result is the near-collapse of the french lines. However, the Germans are unable to take advantage of the breach. -
first tanks
The British employ the first tanks ever used in battle, at Delville Wood. Although they are useful at breaking through barbed wire and clearing a path for the infantry, tanks are still primitive and they fail to be the decisive weapon, as their designers thought they would be. -
wilson for war and U.S. enters war
President Wilson outlines his case for war to Congress.President Wilson outlines his case for war to Congress. -
Submarines return
Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare in European waterways. This act, more than any other, draws the United States into the war and causes the eventual defeat of Germany. -
Zimmerman note
British intelligence gives Wilson the so-called Zimmermann Telegram, a message from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann proposing that Mexico side with Germany in case of war between Germany and the United States. In return, Germany promises to return to Mexico the "lost provinces" of Texas and much of the rest of the American Southwest. Mexico declines the offer, but the outrage at this interference in the Western Hemisphere pushes American public opinion to support entering the war. -
germany and russia have peace
The Germans sign a peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government of Russia. The terms of the treaty give Germany huge tracts of land that had been the Ukraine and Poland, and peace on the Eastern Front allows Germany to shift soldiers to the Western Front, causing serious problems for the French, British, and Americans.
