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Archduke is Assassinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, are assassinated by a Bosnian Serb nationalist in Sarajevo. This caused a ripple in time. -
Beginning of WWI
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, beginning World War I. -
Beginning of WWI
Austria-Hungary, angry at the assassination of their leader, declares war on Serbia, beginning World War I. -
First battle
the very first battle on the marne begins. The Germans had advanced to within 30 miles of Paris, but over the next two days, the French are reinforced by 6,000 infantrymen who are transported to the front by hundreds of taxis. The Germans dig in north of the Aisne River, and the trench warfare that is to typify the Western Front for the next four years begins. -
Chemical Warfare
The Second Battle of Ypres begins. The German army initiates the modern era of chemical warfare by launching a chlorine attack on Allied trenches. Some 5,000 French and Algerian troops are killed. By war’s end, both sides have used massive quantities of chemical weapons, causing an estimated 1,300,000 casualties, including 91,000 fatalities. Truly one of the most gruesome attacks of the war, un expected and deadly. -
The Lusitania sinks
A German submarine sinks the passenger liner, Lusitania, during a crossing from New York to Liverpool, England. Most got out with their lives, but some were unlucky, the action killing 128 Americans. -
The battle of Somme begins
Allied offensive begins The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme offensive. It was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the Somme, a river in France. -
U.S. Declares war
The United States finally declares war on Germany. In his address to Congress four days earlier, U.S. Pres. Woodrow Wilson had cited Germany’s practice of unrestricted submarine warfare and the “Zimmermann Telegram” as key reasons behind the abandonment of his long-standing policy of neutrality. -
British uses tanks
A British offensive at Cambrai, France, marks the first large-scale use of tanks in combat. Attacking with complete surprise, the British tanks ripped through German defenses in depth and took some 7,500 prisoners at low cost in casualties. Bad weather intervened, however, and adequate infantry reinforcements were not available to capitalize on the breakthrough. Within two weeks the British had been driven back almost to their original positions. -
Women Join the military
American women recruited to serve as bilingual telephone operators for the AEF arrive in Europe, marking the first time, (marked in history, that is) that women are involved in a World war, however late it was. -
Soviet Signs Treaty
After months of delays, the Soviet government concludes a separate peace with the Central Powers when it accepts the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russia surrenders its claim to Ukraine, to its Polish and Baltic territories, and to Finland.