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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Josef and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is shot to death along with his wife by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on this day in 1914. -
Great War Begins
The Great War is the war against every country. -
Kaiser Declares "Open Season" on Ships
This made it possible for ships to go through any place. -
Lusitania Sank
The Lusitania was torpedoed without warning by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland. -
Battle of Somme
One of the largest battles of the First World War. -
Wilson Re-elected
After a hard-fought contest, Wilson defeated Hughes by nearly 600,000 votes in the popular vote and secured a narrow majority in the Electoral College by winning several swing states with razor-thin margins. -
Zimmerman Note Intercepted
Arthur Zimmermann, to the German ambassador to Mexico proposing a Mexican-German alliance in the case of war between the United States and Germany, is published on the front pages of newspapers across America. -
Selective Service Act
Allowed the Federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into ww1. -
Convey System
Merchant vessels sailing together with or without a naval escort, for mutual security and protection. -
Espionage Act Passed
Was originally found in title 50 of the US Code but is now found under title 18. -
Russia Pulls out of the War.
Growing battlefield losses and defeats had exacerbated the discontent of the Russian populace that led to the revolution, and the Bolsheviks wanted to consolidate their power rather than continue to oppose the Central Powers with their weakened military. -
Flu epidemic
The 1918 pandemic flu saw high mortality rates among healthy adults. In fact, the illness and mortality rates were highest among adults 20 to 50 years old. The reasons for this remain unknown. -
Fourteen Points Speech
The Fourteen Points speech was the only explicit statement of war aims by any of the nations fighting in World War I. -
Sedition Act Passed
A piece of legislation designed to protect America’s participation in World War I. -
Germany Signs Armistice
This ended the fighting on the western front. -
US Declares War on Germany
They declare war because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
