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assassinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated in Sarajevo this lead to WWI and the US being involved in it -
Declared war
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. -
US declared war
A German U-boat torpedoed the British-owned steamship Lusitania, killing 1,195 people including 128 Americans, on May 7, 1915. The disaster set off a chain of events that led to the U.S. entering World War I -
Wilson Wins
The 1916 United States presidential election was the 33rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 1916. Incumbent Democratic President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated former associate justice of the Supreme Court Charles Evans Hughes, the Republican candidate. -
Message Intercepted
The British intercept a telegram sent by Alfred Zimmermann in the German Foreign Office to the German embassies in Washington, D.C., and Mexico City. Its message outlines plans for an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States. -
War Declared
On April 6, 1917, Congress passed the Declaration of War. Not unlike the War of 1812, the U.S. went into war to protect shipping and the freedom of trade while in international waters. Since the beginning of that year, 19 U.S. merchant vessels were sunk by German U-boats. -
The U.S Has Arrived
Shock troops with the Austro-Hungarian Army pushed 11 Italian divisions off the Mount Ortigara summit, regaining their important defensive position in Asiago, Italy. Italy suffered 23,000 casualties while Austria-Hungary sustained only 9,000 casualties. and the first American troops arrive in France -
Espionage Act of 1917
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. The Sedition Act of 1918 curtailed the free speech rights of U.S. citizens during time of war. -
Cease Fire!
Armistice on the Western Front. On Nov. 11, 1918, 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. -
Versailles Peace Treaty
The Versailles Peace Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, officially ended World War I. Of note, on the same day, five-years earlier the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated at Sarajevo, Bosnia, starting the war.