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Franz Ferdinand was assassinated
Franz Ferdinand ws riding down the streets of Sarajevo with his wife, when shots were fired and he was killed. He was killed by a Serbian, Gavrilo Princip. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia because a Serbian killed the Austrian-Hungarian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand. -
Russia mobilizes armed forces
Russia mobilized-gathered their resources and prepared for the war-their armed forces. -
Germany declares war on Russia
Because Germany was an ally of Austria-Hungary and Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary, Germany declared war on Russia. -
Germany declares war on France
Germany declared war on France, because France was an ally of Russia. -
Germany invades Belgium
A day later, Germany invaded Belgium-who was neutral-which violated a 1839 treaty which protected Belgium's neutrality. -
Britain declares war on Germany
Britain declared war on Germany. Britain was an ally of both Russia and France and because of the alliance system, Britain declared war on Germany. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia
Since Russia was an ally of Serbia, and Austria-Hungary didn't get along with Serbia, Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia. -
France and Britain declare war on Austria-Hungary
France and Britain were both allies of Russia and Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia so therefore, France and Britain both declared war on Austria-Hungary. -
Japan joined the Allies
Japan joined Britain, France and Russia on the Allies. Japan was a rival of Germany. -
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Battle of Marne
The Germans went into France and got within 15 miles of Paris. The British and French stopped the Geramns at the Marne River. This battle saved Paris and boosted French morale. -
Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers
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Britain blockaded Germany
By Britain blockading All of German ports, it caused serious shortages. This caused many Germans to suffer from illnesses because of lack of food. -
Poison Gas was first used
Poisen gas was first used by the Germans against the Allies. Poisen gas could kill or seriously injure anyone who breathed it in. -
Germany torpedoed the Lusitania
A German submarine torpedoed the British passenger boat, the Lusitania. It sank in about 15 minutes, killing over 1,000 people, including 128 U.S. citizens. -
Italy joined the Allies
Italy would not honor its alliance with Germnay and Austria-Hungary that it had earlier. Italy joined the Allies because it had been promised land in Austria after the war. -
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Battle of Verdun
This battle was the longest and bloodiest of the was in northeastern France. The germans made small gains at first, but the French attacked making them lose them. When the battle was done, 750,000 French and German soldiers had lost their lives. -
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Battle of Somme
The British and French launched their own offensive. The number of deaths was high again and the Allies didn't gain much-only 7 miles. -
Newspapers published the Zimmermann Telegram
Britian intercepted the Zimmermann Telegram. It was from Germany to Mexico trying to get Mexico to join the Central Powers and to attack America. -
President Wilson asked for a Declaration of War
President Wilson couldn't decide if America should stay neutral, or join the war. He decided we should not be neutral anymore. He asked congress for a declaration of war against Germany. -
America went to war
Congress did not all agree to war at once, but they knew to keep a great world power, they would have to go to war. Congress agreed, and Wilson signed it on this day. -
Congress passes the Selective Service Act
The U.S. had to get an army, and they had to do it quickly! The Selective Service Act set up a military draft. All men aged 18-45 were registered fo r the war. 24 million men were registered. About 3 million were called to serve and another 2 million joined the war voluntarily. -
American troops land in France
The Allies needed American soldiers to help them in the war. General John J. Pershing led the American troops in Europe. Pershing would not allow American troops to fight with European troops. -
Woodrow Wilson reveals "Fourteen Points" for peace
Wilson had a vivion of peace. His idea of peace was outlined in the "Fourteen Points." Several of the points were about the adjustment of boundaries in Europe and the creation of new nations. -
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Germany and Austria-Hungary fight their last great offensive
Germany and Austria-Hungary fought hard between March and June. They pushed the Allies back to within 40 miles of Paris. It suddenly looked like Germany might win the war, -
American Expeditionary Force begins to fight
General John J.Pershing led the AEF into Europe. The French were happy. The AEF reached their full force in the spring of 1918. General Pershing refused to mix the AEF with the French and British soldiers. He wanted to keep them seperate. -
Battle of Argonne Forest
The Allies started their own offensive. Over one million American troops joined the Allies in the Battle of Argonne Forest. It went on for nearly 7 weeks. Many lives were lost. It ended when the Allies pushed the Germans back. -
Armistice ends WW1
The German government went to President Wilson and asked for an armistice. WIlson said that Germany must accept his plan for peace and promise not to renew hostilities and all German troops must leave Belgium and France. Also that Wilson would only deal with Civilian leaders and not the military. Germany eventually agreed, ending the war.
