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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 They were shot to death by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian student and member of the Serbian secret society "Black Hand". -
Great Britain declares war on Germany
The declaration is binding on all Dominions within the British Empire including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. August 4, 1914 - The United States declares its neutrality. -
the German submarine sank
the German submarine (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania, a swift-moving British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. Of the 1,959 men, women, and children on board, 1,195 perished, including 123 Americans. -
President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated Republican Charles E
Democratic U.S. President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated Republican Charles E. Hughes in the U.S. presidential election. Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. -
President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated Republican Charles E.
Democratic U.S. President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated Republican Charles E. Hughes in the U.S. presidential election. Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. -
Congress passed the Declaration of War.
Congress passed the Declaration of War. Not unlike the War of 1812, the U.S. went into war to protect shipping and the freedeom of trade while in international waters. Since the beginning of that year, 19 U.S. merchant vessels were sunk by German U-boats. -
The first American troops land in France
Russian troops begin the Kerensky Offensive attempting to recapture the city of Lemberg (Lvov) on the Eastern Front. -
The Sedition Act of 1918
the Sedition Act of 1918 was enacted on May 16, 1918 to extend the Espionage Act of 1917. The Sedition Act covered a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a negative light or interfered with the sale of government bonds. -
Armistice on the Western Front.
after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending World War I. -
The Versailles Peace Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, officially ended World War I
the Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, France. The treaty was one of several that officially ended five years of conflict known as the Great War—World War I.