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Franz Ferdinand - Assassination
The archduke of Austria/Hungary was assassinated on June 28, 1914 while with his wife in Serbia. The war was originally just going to be Austria/Hungary vs. Serbia, but many European countries became entangled with this argument. Thus, World War I was born. -
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World War I
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Machine Guns Are First Used in a War
Many machine guns including the Vickers Machine Gun, the Browning Machine Gun, and the Lewis Gun were first used in World War I. They caused heavy casualties during battles which included "trench warfare." -
Germans Use Mustard Gas
Germans became the first army to use mustard gas in 1915. This gas blinded people, burned their skin, and rotted the throat and lungs of the victims. This was released from canisters. -
Fighter Planes Are First Used in a War
On February 5, 1915, fighter planes were introduced into World War I. The first fighter plane was the Vickers F.B.5. equipped with a Lewis gun. Later, the vickers F.B.9. was introduced in the early months of 1916. -
First Tank Produced
The first tank was produced on September 6, 1915. It was called the Mark I. This wasn't used in war until late 1916. -
U.S. Joins WWI
The U.S. joined World War I after the German U-Boats attacked U.S. supply boats. While the U.S. tried to stay out of the war with peace treaties, they attempted to send supplies to some of their allies in Europe. They couldn't hold in their anger from the supply boat attacks so they joined the war on April 6, 1917. -
World War I Ends
World War I ends on November 11, 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles. This brutal war left 8,528,831 men killed and 21,189,154 men wounded.
