World War 1

By Maxwell Lawing

  • Franz Ferdinand Assassinated

    Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
    Archduke Franz Ferdinand visits Sarajevo in Bosnia. During his drive, an Assassin kills him with a shot to the head. Believing the assassin was a Serbian, the Austrians face their anger towards Serbia.

  • World War 1 Declared

    World War 1 Declared
    Great Britain declares war on Germany, and the U.S. declares its neutrality.

  • Germany Sinks Lusitania

    Germany Sinks Lusitania
    A German U-Boat sinks the British passenger liner Lusitania in under 20 minutes, drowning 1,201 passengers, 128 of them being Americans.

  • Woodrow Wilson Re-elected

    Woodrow Wilson Re-elected
    American voters re-elect President Woodrow Wilson who had campaigned on the logan "He kept us out of war".

  • The Zimmermann Telegram

    The Zimmermann Telegram
    The British intercepts a telegram sent by Alfred Zimmermann to Mexico City. Its message offers an alliance between Germany and Mexico: if Mexico joined the Central powers, Germany would provide tactical support while Mexico would reclaim their territory taken by the U.S. The message was published and released a public outcry.

  • America Joins The War

    America Joins The War
    The U.S. declares war on Germany.

  • America Arrives

    America Arrives
    The first American troops land in France.

  • Passchendaele Ridge

    Passchendaele Ridge
    Germany attacks the British, taking back the Passchendaele Ridge. However, reinforcements stop the Germans from advancing, leading to a partial success. Ludendorff's goal of separating the British and French was incomplete.

  • The Armistice of 11

    The Armistice of 11
    In a railway car at Compiègne, France, the Germans sign the Armistice for 11 am, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Fighting occurs along the Western Front until 11 am with 2,000 casualties by all sides. As 11 am draws near, American soldiers yearn to claim that they fired the very last shot before the war ended.

  • The End of The War

    The End of The War
    At the Palace of Versailles in France, a German delegation signs the Treaty formally ending the war. The Treaty contains terms that don't match Wilson's Fourteen Points as the Germans had hoped. Germans back home react with mass demonstrations against the perceived harshness, especially clauses that blame the war on Germany.