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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Austrian representative murdered by Serbian nationalist. After this happened, Austria declared war on Serbia, starting WWI. This event changed the world as we know it. -
The Great War officially starts
Austria declares war on Serbia 1 month after Franz Ferdinand was killed, kicking off a war that spans over years, taking hundreds of thousands of lives in the process. With Germany as their ally, they began to take over several areas. -
Battle of Gallipoli
The Battle of Gallipoli was a series of battles around Gallipoli, which is an area around modern-day Turkey. It started when the Allies attempted to control naval routes, but eventually led to a full-blown land invasion, on the Gallipoli Peninsula. It lasted for about 8 months until they evacuated the peninsula in December. -
Lusitania Sinks
Germany attacks a British ship off the coast of Britain. About 1200 people died in the attack, including around 130 Americans. Nothing came of it, because even though it was a neutral vessel, Germany had announced it would attack any ships going near a war zone. It was later revealed they were carrying wartime supplies. -
The Battle of Verdun
In early 1916, General Erich von Falkenhayn of the German forces launched an attack against the French forces stationed in and around Verdun. The attack lasted until July, when, after not seeing much progress on the attack, the Germans called it off. They started it back up around August, and only took back enough land to get to where they originally started. The total casualty count ended up being around 700,000. -
The Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest battles of WWI. It was mostly between the British and German forces, with America and France helping Britain to a certain extent. It lasted through to November, taking the lives of upwards of 57,000 people. The British forces used heavy artillery to destroy German reinforcements, but the Germans dug down further into their trenches, blocking the British from directly attacking them. -
The Zimmermann Note
The German foreign minister, Arthur Zimmermann, sent a message to the German ambassador to Mexico detailing how if the US were to enter the war, they'd launch a sneak attack through Mexico against the US. The US caught wind of this and with newfound proof of acts against the US, officially joined WWI. -
USA Enters World War One
After the sinking of the Lusitania, public opinion in America began to turn against the Germans, even though the US was officially neutral in the war. After Germany sinks 2 more vessels, an unnamed Italian vessel and the Housatonic, the US officially enters the war against the Germans. -
Russian Revolution
In November of 1917, Vladimir Lenin led a revolution against the Tsar. They took over and turned Russia into the first communist country. -
Russia Withdraws From WWI
After the Russian Revolution led to Tsar Nicholas II being forcibly removed from his throne, Russia was in a weak state. Lenin took over Russia, and one of his ideals was to remove Russia from the war. He signed a treaty in 1918 which pulled Russia out of the war once and for all. -
Battle of Chateau-Thierry
The Germans attack as retribution for the 2nd Battle of the Marne, attacking along most of the Western front. The American, French, and Senegalese worked together to ultimately have an Allied victory over the Germans. -
The Battle of The Argonne
The last battle of WWI was waged along the Western Front. The Allies attacked the Germans, who, while having a strong army, were being outnumbered by the Allies. The Germans eventually surrendered after the Treaty of Versailles was signed and put into effect. -
Armistice
On November 11, 1918, at 11:00AM, (The Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month at the Eleventh Hour) World War One began to wind down after an armistice was initiated by the Germans, who had suffered heavy casualties and financial losses. They would stop firing, and retreat back to Germany, with risk of imprisonment. The Germans had no choice but to accept. They later signed the Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI officially. -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
Germany eventually signed the Treaty of Versailles, officially ending WWI. It had provisions that stopped Germany from having a large army (which Hitler obviously ignored during WWII), removed all the land they overtook and gave it back to their original country. They also had to pay reparations to all the countries for their losses. -
League of Nations is formed and has their first meeting
After the war had ended, and Woodrow Wilson had a stroke and was unable to attend, the League of Nations finally convenes in Geneva. They controlled minor problems between countries, but never anything huge. They dissolved after WWII ended, forming the United Nations.
