-
The Election of President Woodrow Wilson
Wilson was aided in his presidential campaign by the division among the Democrats at their nominating convention and by the subsequent split in the Republican Party at its convention between its progressive and conservative factions backing the respective candidacies of the incumbent President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
precipitated the July Crisis which led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia and the start of World War I. -
America Proclaims Neutrality in World War 1
President Woodrow Wilson declared U.S. neutrality on August 4, 1914, and many Americans saw little reason to entangle themselves in what they viewed as European quarreling and intrigue. As the war persisted and the destruction spread, many Americans could not ignore the crisis. -
The Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne marked the end of the German sweep into France and the beginning of the trench warfare that was to characterise World War One. -
The Battle of the Verdun
Verdun was a fortress city on the River Meuse, and a strategically-vital link in the French sector of the Allied line on the Western Front. To the French people, Verdun was also a symbolic fortress and a national treasure. The loss of such a citadel would be an enormous blow to French morale. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of RMS Lusitania caused international outrage and helped turn public opinion against Germany, particularly in the then-neutral United States. Of the 1,200 people killed, 128 were American citizens. But the incident did not immediately bring the United States into the war. -
The Sussex Incident
The attack prompted a U.S. threat to sever diplomatic relations. The German government responded with the so-called Sussex pledge (May 4, 1916), agreeing to give adequate warning before sinking merchant and passenger ships and to provide for the safety of passengers and crew. -
The Battle of the Somme
A more professional and effective army emerged from the battle. And the tactics developed there, including the use of tanks and creeping barrages, laid some of the foundations of the Allies' successes in 1918. The Somme also succeeded in relieving the pressure on the French at Verdun. -
The Re-Election of President Woodrow Wilson
Wilson was aided in his presidential campaign by the division among the Democrats at their nominating convention and by the subsequent split in the Republican Party at its convention between its progressive and conservative factions backing the respective candidacies of the incumbent President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt. -
The Interception of the Zimmermann Telegram
January 17, 1917 British signals intelligence intercepted and decrypted a coded German telegram from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann that was intended for Germany's ambassador to Mexico. -
The Declaration of the New Unrestricted Submarine Warfare by Germany
Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchant ships such as freighters and tankers without warning. The use of unrestricted submarine warfare has had significant impacts on international relations in regards to both the First World War and the Second World War. -
The United States Enters World War 1
the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. The United States later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. -
The Selective Service Act
authorized the United States federal government to raise a national army for service in World War I through conscription. -
The Espionage Act
broadly sought to crack down on wartime activities considered dangerous or disloyal, including attempts to acquire defense-related information with the intent to harm the United States, or acquire code and signal books, photographs, blueprints, and other such documents with the intention of passing -
The Landing of the American Expeditionary Force in France
The first American Expeditionary Forces' (AEF) contingent landed in France in late June 1917 at Saint-Nazaire. The war would soon enter its fourth year with no end in sight. Every French family had been touched by the injury and loss of loved ones, and the austerities of war. -
The Fourteen Points by President Wilson
Wilson's Fourteen Points primarily supported the idea of lasting peace. Many of the points focused on: trade equality, ending of secrete treaties, and alliances, freedom of the seas, and the establishment of the League of Nations. -
The Beginning of the Spanish Flu Epidemic
Then came the deadly twist: the virus ravaged its victim's lungs. Despite its name, researchers believe the Spanish flu most likely originated in the United States. -
Russia pulls Out of World War 1
Since there was an socialist revolution was taking place in the country and it was going under a turmoil with internal revolution, that they could not. -
The Passing of the Sedition Act
made it a crime for American citizens to "print, utter, or publish...any false, scandalous, and malicious writing" about the government. The laws were directed against Democratic-Republicans, the party typically favored by new citizens. -
The Battle of Argonne Forest
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I. It was one of the attacks that brought an end to the War and was fought from September 26 – November 11, 1918, when the Armistice was signed. -
Armistice Day Ends World War 1
Although the information about the imminent ceasefire had spread among the forces at the front in the hours before, fighting in many sections of the front continued right until the appointed hour. -
The Paris Peace Conference & Treaty of Versailles
The treaty and the separate peace treaties between Great Britain and the three colonial powers that supported the American cause, France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic, are known collectively as the Peace of Paris.