World War 1

The assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand

Jun 28, 1914

The assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand started ww1. Austria-Hungary, along with many other countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government. Austria-Hungary used this as justification to fight.

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

Jul 28, 1914

Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia is the true start of the ww1.

Russians are Defeated at Battle of Tannenberg

Aug 26, 1914

On the eastern front, Germans shatter the Russian Second Army and take over 92,000 prisoners at the Battle of Tannenberg.

Germans Conduct Air Raid on Paris

Aug 30, 1914

The attack has little military value, but is intended to terrorize civilians. They killed 254 people. (Link; https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-bomb-paris)

Commission for Relief in Belgium Founded

Oct 1, 1914

The Commission for Relief in Belgium was founded by Herbert Hoover. The Commission for Relief in Belgium distributes millions of tons of food to civilians in Belgium and northern France. http://www.baef.be/documents/about-us/history/the-commission-for-relief-in-belgium-1914-.xml?lang=en

Japan Attacks and Captures Tsingtao, China

Oct 31, 1914

Tsingtao is a port city on the Yellow Sea and has been held by the Germans since 1898. The Germans surrendered on November 6.

Christmas Truce Observed on Western Front

Dec 25, 1914

Troops from both sides were encouraged to greet one another as Christmas carols sounded across No Man's Land
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxsfyrd

Bread Rationing is Introduced in Germany

Jan 1, 1915

Each citizen and neutral foreign national is issued a bread card for an initial daily quota of 8 ounces

Turkish Army Disarms its Armenian Troops

Feb 1, 1915

Ottoman Turkish army disarms and segregates Armenian soldiers into labor battalions fearing Christian Armenians are aiding Orthodox Russians in their fight against Turkey. In 1915, 1,000,000 Armenians are forcibly removed to Syria and Mesopotamia.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/armenians.htm

German Saboteurs at Work in America

Feb 2, 1915

A German officer, Werner Horn, is arrested in Maine for a bombing that damages the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge, which connects the U.S. and Canada.

Germany Threatens Submarine Warfare Against Merchant Vessels

Feb 4, 1915

Germany warns that neutral vessels in British waters “would be destroyed without it always being possible to warn the crews and passengers.”

German Women Demonstrate for Peace

Mar 18, 1915

Several thousand women demonstrate for peace before the German Reichstag [Parliament].

Allies Land in Gallipoli, Italy

Apr 25, 1915

Allies, including Australian and New Zealand troops, land in Gallipoli, Turkey at Helles and Anzac Cove. The Turkish controlled peninsula of twisting shorelines protects the Dardanelle Straits- a key international waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea.

German U-Boat Torpedoes the Lusitania

May 7, 1915

The Cunard passenger ship Lusitania sinks in British waters. A total of 1,198 drown, including many women and children and 128 U.S. citizens.

German Forces in South-West Africa Surrender to General Botha of South Africa

Jul 9, 1915

A six-month campaign conquers the German colony, capturing its wireless stations and strategic harbors.

Allied Troops Enter Kut-Al-Amara in Mesopotamia

Sep 28, 1915

British and Indian forces move up the Tigris River to capture Kut-al-Amara in Mesopotamia from Turkish forces. Their ultimate goal is Baghdad, roughly 100 miles from present-day Baghdad in Iraq. They will surrender their forces in April 1916.

Serbia invaded by Germany, Austria, and Bulgaria

Oct 5, 1915

The Central Powers troops cross the Danube River and within days capture Belgrade. A massive Serbian retreat follows. Soldiers and their families made their way to the Albanian border through mountains and a steady snowfall.

British Nurse is Executed

Oct 12, 1915

British nurse Edith Cavell, a nursing instructor working with the Red Cross, is shot by Germans at 7 a.m. under accusations of being a spy and helping Allied soldiers escape Belgium. She was charged with espionage five days after her execution.

Belgians Deported to Germany as Forced Labor

Apr 22, 1916

German troops begin to round up Belgian workers for deportation to Germany. They are assembled in daily batches of 1,400 men and women in equal numbers.

Germany Signs Armistice

Nov 11, 1918

Three days prior, German delegates were escorted through a devastated French countryside to a railway car in the Compiengne Forest, Marshal Foch’s Headquarters and were presented with terms of the Allied Armistice. Fighting ends on the Western Front Paris time 11:00 a.m. when Germany signs this armistice with the Allied Powers. The terms are harsh, intended to show German acceptance of defeat and to prevent any lengthy break for Germany to regroup and start military action again.