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Francis Ferdinand assassinated
The Austrian government suspects that Serbia is responsible -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
This begins World War 1 -
Russia, Germany and France erupt in war
Germany declares war on Russia. France and Belgium begin full mobilization. Germany declares war on France, and invades neutral Belgium. Britain then sends an ultimatum, rejected by the Germans, to withdraw from Belgium. -
U.S. declares neutrality
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Russians are defeated
Germans shatter the Russian Second Army and take over 92,000 prisoners at the Battle of Tannenberg. -
Japan attacks and captures Tsingtao, China
Held by the Germans since 1898, Tsingtao is a lightly garrisoned port city on the Yellow Sea. The Germans surrender on November 6. -
German officer is arrested in Maine
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 -
Germans use poison gas
In the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans open the assault with a chlorine gas attack, the first successful use of poison gas on the Western Front; more than 10,000 Allied troops are affected, over half of whom died. By May 25, the Allies withdraw. -
Serbia is invaded by Germany, Austria and Bulgaria
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. -
USA is alerted about the Zimmermann Telegram
Intercepted weeks earlier by the British intelligence service, the United States is alerted about the Zimmermann Telegram. In the decoded message, German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann promises the return of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Mexico as reward for siding with Germany if the U.S. enters the war. -
US Declares War on Germany
The day after an overwhelming majority in the Senate votes for war, President Wilson signs the declaration. The United States quickly puts the entire country on the road to war. Going from a standing army of 133,000 men with almost no heavy artillery pieces, millions of men were inducted into the armed forces over the next two years and given basic combat training. -
First American Troops Land in France
They had been outfitted with old overcoats of the period shortly after the Civil War: blue coats with gold buttons and a lining of crimson. -
US Congress passes 18th Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment outlaws the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic liquors. The law is sent to the states for ratification. -
Treaty of BREST-LITOVSK is signed by Germany and Russia
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed by Soviet Russia and Germany. Germany sets harsh terms: Russia yields 34% of her population, 32% of her farmland, 50% of her industrial holdings and 90% of her coalmines. Bolshevik negotiator, Leon Trotsky, laments; “This is a peace that Russia, grinding her teeth, is forced to accept.” -
WW1 Ends
Germany signs the Treaty of Armistice -
Germany and allies sign peace treaty
Representatives of Germany and the Allied and Associated Powers sign the Treaty of Versailles. The Chinese delegates refuse to sign in protest against the Shantung settlement that turns over German mines railroads and telegraph cables in China to the Japanese. -
Women Win The Right to Vote
Women’s suffrage amendment passes U.S. Congress in June 1919 and is ratified in August, 1920, giving American women the right to vote.
