World War I

By cecker17

  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary's throne, and his wife, Sophie, are assassinated

  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

  • Germany declares war on Russia.

  • Germany declares war on France

  • The United Kingdom declares war on Germany, after Germany invades Belgium.

  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany.

  • U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces the U.S. will remain neutral

  • The Battle of Tannenberg begins.

  • The First Battle of the Marne begins. Trench warfare begins as soldiers on both sides dig in.

  • Battle of Ypres begins.

  • The United Kingdom announces that the North Sea is a military area, effectively creating a blockade of goods into Germany

  • The unofficial Christmas truce is declared.

  • Germany declares a "war zone" around Great Britain, essentially effecting a submarine blockade where even neutral merchant vessels were to be potential targets.

  • The Dardanelles Campaign begins

  • The Second Battle of Ypres begins. It is during this battle that the Germans first use poison gas.

  • The Battle of Gallipoli begins.

  • The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by German U-boat, U-20

  • Tsar Nicholas II takes personal control over Russia's armies.

  • Germany sends the secret Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico in an effort to entice Mexico to join the war. The British intercept and decipher the coded message.

  • The Battle of Verdun begins. The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of World War I and was one of the bloodiest.

  • The United States declares war on Germany

  • U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issues his Fourteen Points to peace.

  • The Treaty of Versailles officially ends WWI.