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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princep. Set off the powder keg of Europe. -
Austrian-Hungarian Empire Declares war on Serbia
Due to the assassination, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire declared what was expected to be a short war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, effectively beginning the First World War. -
Germany Invades Belgium
To execute the Schlieffen Plan, Germany had to go through Belgium in order to invade France. The Germans had used Belgium to invade northern France, which had led to the Franco-British defeats of Charleroi and Mons, followed by a rapid retreat to the Marne, where the German offensive was defeated. -
Battle of Tannenberg
It was fought between Russia and Germany from 26–30 August 1914, during the first month of World War I. Germans defeated the Russian army on its way to invade Germany. -
First Battle of the Marne
It was the First World War battle fought. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army. -
First Zeppelin Attack
The Germans attacked England with their new weapon, the Zeppelin. German zeppelins dropped bombs on Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn on the eastern coast of England. -
First Poison Gas Used
During World War I, the Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April, 1915 for control of the strategic Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium after the First Battle of Ypres the previous autumn. It was the first mass use by Germany of poison gas on the Western Front. -
Treaty of London
It was a secret treaty between neutral Italy and the Allied forces of France, Britain, and Russia to bring Italy into World War I. The Allies wanted Italy's participation because of its border with Austria. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Germans sunk the cruise liner Lusitania because it was believed to be carrying weapons. This action ultimately caused the United States to join the war. -
Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary
Ignoring treaty agreements with the Central Powers, Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary. The Italian declaration opened up a new front in World War I, stretching 600 kilometers along Italy’s border with Austria-Hungary. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was the longest single battle of World War One. The casualties from Verdun and the impact the battle had on the French Army was a primary reason for the British starting the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 in an effort to take German pressure off of the French at Verdun. -
Sussex Pledge
Germany responds to a demand by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson by agreeing to limit its submarine warfare in order to avert a diplomatic break with the United States. Unrestricted submarine warfare was first introduced in World War I in early 1915, when Germany declared the area around the British Isles a war zone, in which all merchant ships, including those from neutral countries, would be attacked by the German navy. -
Sykes-Picot agreement
A secret 1916 agreement between Great Britain and France,[1] to which the Russian Empire assented. The agreement defined their mutually agreed spheres of influence and control in Southwestern Asia. -
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle fought by the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet against the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet. At midday on 2 June, German authorities released a press statement claiming a victory. -
Battle of the Somme
It was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. Until the 1930s the dominant view of the battle in English-language writing was that the battle was a hard-fought victory against a brave, experienced and well-led opponent. -
Germany Resumes Unrestricted Sub Warfare
the lethal threat of the German U-boat submarine raises its head again, as Germany returns to the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare it had previously suspended in response to pressure from the United States and other neutral countries. Unrestricted submarine warfare was first introduced in World War I in early 1915, when Germany declared the area around the British Isles a war zone, in which all merchant ships, including those from neutral countries, would be attacked by the German navy. -
Zimmermann Telegram
On this day, the Zimmermann Telegram was published by the U.S. Press. Zimmermann instructed the ambassador to offer significant financial aid to Mexico if it agreed to enter any future U.S-German conflict as a German ally. -
US Declares War
The United States Congress declared war upon the German Empire; on April 2, President Woodrow Wilson had asked a special joint session of Congress for this declaration. -
US Espionage Act
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It was intended to prohibit interference with military operations or recruitment, to prevent insubordination in the military, and to prevent the support of United States enemies during wartime. -
USSR withdraws from the War
Russia's withdrawal from World War I was based on two primary factors. The first concerned the major military reversals it had experienced in the field. The second stemmed from the internal upheaval and political change that culminated in the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917. -
German Spring Offensive of 1918
It was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during the First World War. The Germans had realised that their only remaining chance of victory was to defeat the Allies before the overwhelming human and matériel resources of the United States could be fully deployed. -
RAF formed
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is formed with the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). The RAF took its place beside the British navy and army as a separate military service with its own ministry. -
Second Battle of the Marne
It was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack by French and American forces, including several hundred tanks, overwhelmed the Germans on their right flank, inflicting severe casualties. -
Austrian-Hungarian Empire Surrenders
The Armistice of Villa Giusti ended warfare between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I. The armistice was signed on 3 November 1918 in the Villa Giusti, outside of Padua in the Veneto, northern Italy, and took effect 24 hours later. -
Kaiser Abdicated
He had ruled Germany and Prussia from 15 June 1888 until 9 November 1918, when he went into exile. Following the abdication statement and German Revolution of 1918–19, the German nobility as a legally defined class was abolished.
