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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a teenage Serbian. -
Start of the Great War
World War 1 started on June 28, 1914 about a month after Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a 19 year old from Serbia. on July 28 Austria- Hungary declared war on Serbia. Germany declared war on Russia on August 1. -
Kaiser Declares "Open Season" on Ships
Germany's goal was to sink any British, Russian, or French ships in British waters. -
Lusitania Sinks
The Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland. -
Battle of the Somme
This battle was one of the biggest and bloodiest battles in World War 1. It was fought from the beginning of July to the beginning of November. -
Woodrow Wilson Re-elected
Woodrow Wilson was re-elected in 1916. The slogan for the Democratic campaign was " He kept us out of war". This portrayed Wilson as a peacemaker. -
Zimmerman Telegram Intercepted
The Zimmerman Telegram was intercepted by the British. The telegram stated that Germany would support Mexico in an attack against the United States in exchange for Mexico to annex lost territory. -
Selective Service Act
American men from 21-30 signed up for the draft. -
U.S. Declares War on Gemany
America declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. President Woodrow Wilson asked congress to declare war on Germany on April 2, 1917. -
Convoy System
All of the ships traveling across the Atlantic Ocean had to travel in groups under the British navy for protection. -
Espionage Age Passed
Federal law passed shortly after the U.S. joined the First World War. Prohibited any speech against the United States government or flag. -
Russia Pulls Out of the War
Group of communists lead by Vladimir Lenin overthrew the government. Vladimir Lenin wanted to focus on building a communist state so they pulled out of the war. -
The Flu Epidemic of 1918
This epidemic killed between 20 and 40 million people in 1918 through 1919. -
Fourteen Points Speech
Woodrow Wilson's speech was given to congress on January 8, 1918. The "Fourteen Points" speech was supposed to bring peace. -
Sedition Act Passed
The Sedition Act was supposed to protect the united States' participation in World War 1. -
Germany Signs Armistice
Germany signed the armistice that ended hostility but the war did not officially end until June 28, 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
