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Arcgaduke Francis Ferdinand
Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of Austria- Hungary. He was assassinated while making a state visit to sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. Gavrilo Princip, a young revolutionary assassin from Bosina killed him. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
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Germany declares war on Russia
Germany declared war on Russia -
Germany declares war on France.
Germany declares war on France. -
Britain declares war on Germany
Britain declared war on Germany -
Germany declares war on Belgium
Germany declares war on Belgium -
Secret Alliance
◾Secret Alliance between Germany and Turkey signed at Berlin. -
Tser and Jadar
Battle of the Tser and the Jadar (Serbia) begins (see 13th and 21st). -
First Trenches
During trench warfare, opposing armies conduct battle, at relatively close range, from a series of ditches dug into the ground. Trench warfare becomes necessary when two armies face a stalemate, with neither side able to advance and overtake the other. Although trench warfare has been employed since ancient times, it was used on an unprecedented scale on the Western Front during World War I. -
Christmas Truce
The unofficial Christmas truce is declared. -
Winter Battle
The Winter Battle in Masuria (East Prussia) begins (see 22nd). -
Liquid fire
Liquid fire first used by the Germans on the Western front. -
S.S. Falaba
The first passenger ship (British S.S. "Falaba") sunk by a German submarine -
German U-Boats sink the Lusitania
Lusitania was torpedoed in by German submarine. It took just eighteen minutes to sink. The speed and the angle of sinking made it extremely difficult to launch the life boats.1,153 passengers and crew drowned. 128 of them were Americans. -
Germany's Promise
Germany promises not to the sink unarmed passengers ships without warning -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun begins. The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of World War 1 and was one of the bloodiest. -
Germany breaks promise
Geramny breaks promise by sinking the Sussex -
Germany promises again
Germany promises not to sink unarmed ships again -
Wilson re-elected
Woodrow Wilson re-elected President of the United States with campaign slogan: "He kept us out of the war." -
The Zimmermann Note
A telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister to Mexico, 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. -
Wilson wants war
Wilson asked congress for a declaration of war against Germany -
U.S. Declares war
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Treaty of Brest-Litcusk
The treaty ended war between Russia and Germany. Under the treaty, Russia lost Riga, Lithuania, Livonia, Estonia and some of White Russia. These areas had great economic importance as they were some of the most fertile farming areas in Western Russia. Germany was allowed by the terms of the treaty to exploit these lands to support her military effort in the west. -
Germany Surrenders
Germany surrendered to the Allies in a railway car in Compiegne France. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
