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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Gavrilo Princip, a member of a Serbian nationalist group called "Black Hand", assassinated Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. -
World War I starts
Because Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Since Russia and France were allies with Austria-Hungary, they also had to join the war. -
Kaiser declares "open season" on ships
Kaiser Wilhelm announced that all ships sailing in British, Russian, or French territories could be shot down. -
Lusitania Sank
The Lusitania, a British passenger line, was sunk by a German submarine after the "open season" warning. The sinking killed almost 1200 passengers- 128 of them were American. -
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Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles in WWI and one of the bloodiest military battles in history. -
President Wilson re-elected
The 33rd president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, was re-elected. -
Zimmerman Note Intercepted
The Zimmerman note was a letter from Germany to Mexico that talked about forming an alliance if the US entered in the war against Germany. It was discovered by the US. -
Convoy System
The British introduced the convoy system to World War I. The convoy system is when merchantmen or troopships travel with a naval escort. -
Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act let the federal government start an army so America could enter World War 1. -
Espionage Act passed
The Espionage Act prohibited interference with military operation or recruitment, insubordination in the military, and support of the United States enemies during wartime. -
US declares war on Germany
Over 6 months after Wilson requested to go to war with Germany, the US declared war on Austria-Hungary, one of Germany's allies. -
Fourteen Points Speech
The Fourteen Points Speech was a speech given by President Woodrow Wilson that focused on peace and ending World War I. -
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Flu epidemic
The influenza pandemic, the most devastating epidemic recorded in world history, lasted from 1918 to 1919 and killed between 20 to 40 million people. It killed more people than the actual war did. -
Russia leaves World War 1
Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk which removed Russia from World War 1. -
Sedition Act passed
The Sedition act of 1918 says that people can't say negative things about American government or the war. -
Germany signs an Armistice
After a rebellion of the people, Germany signed an armistice that ended World War I.
