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Great War Begins
A war fought from 1914 to 1918 between the Allies, notably Britain, France, Russia, and Italy (which entered in 1915), and the Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
A teenage Serbian nationalist gunned down Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, as their motorcade maneuvered through the streets of Sarajevo -
Kaiser declares “open season” on ships
On February 4, 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm announced Germany's intention to sink any ships chose to enter British waters after February 18 -
Lusitania Sunk
The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Royal Navy blockaded Germany. -
Espionage Act Passed
United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years -
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme also known as the Somme Offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. -
Wilson Re-elected
Woodrow Wilson became the first Democratic president since Andrew Jackson to be elected to two consecutive terms of office when he defeated Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes in the 1916 Presidential Election. -
Zimmerman Note Intercepted
The Zimmermann Telegram was an internal diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of the United States' entering World War I against Germany. -
US Declares War on Germany
On April 6, 1917, the United States Congress declared war upon the German Empire; on April 2, President Woodrow Wilson had asked a special joint session of Congress for this declaration. -
Selective Service Act
Authorized the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into WW1 through the compulsory enlistment of people -
Convoy System
The convoy system, which can be defined as a group of merchant vessels sailing together, with or without naval escort, for mutual security and protection, has a much longer history than sometimes suggested -
Russia Pulls out of the War
n Russia, Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky overthrew the Provisional Government in what comes to be known as the October Revolution -
Flu Epidemic
It was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic, the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus. -
Fourteen Points Speech
Fourteen goals of the United States in the peace negotiations after World War I. President Woodrow Wilson announced the Fourteen Points to Congress in early 1918 -
Sedition Act Passed
Act of the United States Congress that extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses -
Germany Signs Armistice
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was an armistice during the First World War between the Allies and Germany
