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Tragedy of the Austrian throne
A teenage Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, as their motorcade maneuvered through the streets of Sarajevo. Next in line for the Austro-Hungarian throne, Ferdinand had not been particularly well liked in aristocratic circles. Nonetheless, his death quickly set off a chain reaction of events culminating in the outbreak of World War I. -
The Christmas Truce
During World War I, on and around Christmas Day 1914 the sounds of rifles firing and shells exploding faded in a number of places along the Western Front in favor of holiday celebrations in the trenches and gestures of goodwill between enemies. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. It was never repeated. -
RMS Lusitania
A German U-boat torpedoed and sank the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner en route from New York to Liverpool. Of the more than 1900 passengers and crew members on board, more than 1100 perished, including more than 120 Americans. The sinking of the Lusitania played a significant role in turning public opinion against Germany, both in the United States and abroad. -
Verdun
On February 21, 1916, more than 1,220 guns around an eight-mile perimeter opened fire. It was the sort of drenching shellstorm that would distinguish the battle. Verdun did act as a “suction cup”: three fourths of the French Western Front divisions would eventually serve there. -
Somme
The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was one of the largest battles of the First World War. Fought between July 1 and November 1, 1916, near the Somme River in France, it was also one of the bloodiest military battles in history. On the first day alone, the British suffered more than 57,000 casualties. -
Romania is in
By the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914, Romania had long been at odds with Austria-Hungary over the issue of territory—specifically Transylvania, which was ethnically Romanian but then part of Hungary. Seeing Russia’s success against Austria on the battlefields of the Eastern Front during the summer of 1916, Romania hoped to make an advantageous entry into the war in order to realize long-held dreams of territorial expansion and national unity. -
This means war, Austria-Hungary
On August 18, 1916, the Romanian government signed a secret treaty with the Allies; by its terms, in the event of an Allied victory Romania would acquire Transylvania, up to the River Theiss, the province of Bukovina to the River Pruth, and the entire Banat region, all territory under Austro-Hungarian control. -
Joining the United States Army
"I was interested in the war. I'd been reading the newspapers since I was a child, and I was a wireless amateur, and the war was interesting to me" (Frank Woodruff Buckles). He enlisted and then sworn into the United States regular Army. He was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas to train for ambulance service and trench retrieval. -
Going overseas
"I went overseas on the Carpathia in December 1917. Many of the officers and some of the men had been abroad when they made the rescue of the Titanic survivors. Our group, as we thought destined for France, were diverted in Winchester, England. That changed the situation around for me. Although I enjoyed it very much, I was anxious to get to France." -
Lieber Mexiko,
British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister, von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This message helped draw the United States into the war and thus changed the course of history. The telegram had a big impact on the American opinion -
Russia - out
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was one of the most explosive political events of the 20th century. The violent revolution marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and centuries of Russian Imperial rule. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power and destroyed the tradition of csarist rule. Due to the crisis situation, Russia singed peace with Germany. -
Vive la France!
"When I got to France, I took various assignments. My situation was different. Most men belonged to one unit, one group". There were no casualties in his unit. He drove cars and ambulances. "Particularly down in the Gironde district. The small places: St. Andrew, Saintes Sophie's down to Cognac. And of course, Bordeaux." -
Memories from France
"I have a vivid of memory of is the French soldiers, is being in a small village and going in to a local wine shop in the evening. And here are the French soldiers. And they had very, very little money. But they were having wine and sing "Marsellaise" with enthusiasm. And I inquired "What's the occasion?" They were going back to the front." -
Remembrance Day
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, marking the official end of World War I. Nonetheless, the armistice date of November 11, 1918, remained in the public imagination as the date that marked the end of the conflict.
One year later, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. In Europe this day is known as Remembrance Day. -
New destination: home
"I came back on the ship the Pocahontas. After being over two years and a half in the Army and over two years overseas, it was quite a different life to me. From the time I was 15 years of age, I was treated as an adult."
Frank Woodruff Buckles was the last surviving American military veteran of World War I.
