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WWI Timeline
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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The spark of the war was rooted in a wrong turn made by the chauffeur of Ferdinand. A wrong turn made in an enemy territory led to him being shot. He was shot in Bosnia by the black hand. This assassination led to a butterfly effect of events, leading to countries forming alliances. -
Austria-Hungary declares war against Serbia
Since Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, Austria Hungary was left with no choice but to declare war. The purpose behind the declaration was to incite conflict for an unjust killing of their leader. -
Battle of Tannenburg
This battle was fought in the spirit of revenge for the conflict where the Poles destroyed the Teutonic Knights. This battle fought on the Eastern Front would contribute to a very large win for Russia, It was revenge for the 1410 conflict in which the Poles crushed the Teutonic Knights, this would be the biggest win for Russia. They were fighting on the Eastern Front of the war. -
The Battle of Ypres
This battle took place on October 19, 1914, up until November 22, 1914. This battle resulted in an Allied victory. This primary reason for this battle to be fought was the British wanting to secure English channel ports and British army's supplies. Ypres had to be entirely reconstructed as it was utterly destroyed in battle. -
The Christmas Truce
On Christmas Eve, a collection of German soldiers got together to sing Christmas carols. The British answered by joining the caroling. The Germans called out "You no fight! We no fight!". Soldiers from both armies carefully and skeptically arose from their respective trenches, and they shook hands. There was an exchange of food, tobacco, chocolate, cognac. In some areas, soldiers arranged games of soccer. -
The Lusitania
The German submarine, aka a "U-Boat" U-20 torpedoed and it resulted in the Lusitania sinking. The Lusitania was a swift-moving British cruise liner, which was traveling from New York, USA, to Liverpool, England. This ship carried 1,959 total people, of which 1,195 unfortunately passed away, including 123 Americans. This sparked the US joining the war. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was fought from February 21, 1916, up until December 18th, 1916. This battle was the longest of them all during the First World War. During this battle, Germany dropped nearly 2 million bombs against enemy trenches, consisting of the French. There were roughly 700,000 casualties and due to all of the bombing, the land was altered drastically. -
The Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was fought by the British and French armies, against the German empire. This battle was fought near the river of Somme. This battle is well-known because of the overwhelming amount of casualties, totaling well over one million, and 300,000 fatalities. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
Germany was in dire need of more allies and support during the war, so they sent a classified document to Mexico, hoping they'd join. The telegram states a request for Mexico to join the war if the USA ever joined. Germany promised to retain land which Mexico lost in the past to the USA. The secret was exposed eventually when British forces presented it to America, which led to the USA declaring war on Germany. -
The February Revolution
Between March 8, 1917, and March 12, 1917, a group of communists known as the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, all had a plan to overthrow Tsar Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas II was forced to take over the throne due to domestic discontentment. After two crucial losses during the First World War, the Bolsheviks successfully made Nicholas II give up the throne, and overthrew him. -
America's Formal Declaration of War
America decided to finally end the state of neutrality and joined the Allied forces. They declared war on Germany directly, but all in all, joined the World War. -
Battle of Passchendaele
This battle was the 3rd battle fought in Ypres, and was fought from July 31st, 1917, all the way until November 10th, 1917. The nations consisted of British and Allied forces, and they fought the Germans in Belgium. Although they gained some land and traction, they suffered many casualties and many months of poor fighting conditions, and the Allied forced eventually secured the plot of land they fought for. -
Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto began on October 24, 1917, and ended on December 19, 1917. This battle was one between the nations of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy; along the Isonzo River. This was one of the most substantial setbacks for Italy and they were forced to retreat due to the many casualites, and their loss of a lot of land. -
Armistice of 1918
After four consecutive years of bloody, horrible fighting, the guns on the Western Front were silenced. There was an armistice signed between Germany and the Allies, which resulted in a ceasefire. This was one of the first steps to ending World War I. -
The Treaty of Versaille
The treaty began in January of 1919, consulting the countries of the USA, France, Great Britain, and Italy. Each country had its own agenda for wants and needs. Germany was not invited to the treaty, however, they accepted responsibility for starting the war and agreed to pay a 6,600 million pound grant for the damages.