-
The Start of World War I
The heir to Austria-Hungary's throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. -
Outbreak of the War
First, Germany declares war on Russia. -
First Battle of Masurian Lakes
Austria-Hungary invades Russian Poland and Russia loses. -
Attack of the U-boat
The German U-boat attacks on Allied and neutral shipping whcih leads to declaring blockade of Britain. -
Falaba
Falaba, the British liner, was the first passenger ship to sink the -
128 American Lives Lost
U-boat sinks British liner Lusitania with the loss of American lives, creating a US-German diplomatic crisis. -
Serbian Army expelled
October- November; Austro-German-Bulgarian forces invade Serbia which had expelled Serbian army from the country, -
Longest Battle of WWI
German attack on Verdun. Leads to the longest battle of the war. Defended by the French at great cost to both sides. -
Zimmerman Note
Zimmerman Telegram is passed to the US by Britain. Which Alleged German proposal of an alliance with Mexico against the U.S. -
Fourteen Points
United States President Woodrow Wilson makes "Fourteen Points" speech to Congress. -
Eighteenth Amendment
Eighteenth Amendment was offically approved by Congress, prohibiting the sale of alcohol anywhere throughout the United States. -
Treaty Creates Conflict
Diplomats representing the combatant nations of World War I sign the Treaty of Versailles, that promises to sustain peace through the creation of the League of Nations. -
Garvey's Conference
A Jamacian immagrant, Marcus Garvey brought together the first International Convention of the Negro People of the World in Madison Square Garden. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment is ratified, gave women the right to vote. -
Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes The Great Gatsby. -
Scopes Violates Ban
Biology teacher of Tennessee, John Scopes gets arrested for teaching the theroy of evolution, in violation of new state law. The Trail know as the, "Scopes Monkey Trial," pitting defense attorney Clarence Darrow against William Jennings Bryan who believes in fundamentalism. Scopes is eventually found guilty and fined $100. -
Klansmen March
Forty thousand Ku Klux Klansmen march on Washington wearing their white-hooded procession filling Pennsylvania Avenue. -
Immigrant Radicals
Italian immigrant radicals Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti accused of robbing they are executed by electric chair. -
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth, an African American star from the New York Yankees, breaking his own record of 59, hits his 60th home run of the season. Bab Ruth's record will stand for more than thirty years. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Fifteen nations, including the United States, sign the Kellogg-Briand pact "outlawing" war in Paris. The pact will be made a mockery through the rise of European fascist states in the 1930s. It had little effect in stopping the rising militarism of the 1930s or preventing World War II. -
The Great Depression left millions unemployed
Hoover's promise that the Depression would end quickly. The President's Emergency Committee for Unemployment Relief reports that 5 million Americans are unemployed.The Great Depression left millions unemployed -
New Planet discovered
American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers the planet Pluto at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. -
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act is signed
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act is signed by President Herbert Hoover. Its effective rate hikes would slash world trade. -
Growing Depression
President Herbert Hoover asks the U.S. Congress to pass a $150 million public works project to increase employment and economic activity. -
The Star Spangled Banner
Congress and President Hoover approve The Star Spangled Banner, by Francis Scott Key, as the U.S. national anthem. -
Stimuated Banking and Buisnesses
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation is established to stimulate banking and business. Unemployment in 1932 reached twelve million workers. -
Roosevelt defeats Hoover
Democratic challenger Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats incumbent President Hoover in the presidential election for his first of an unprecedented four terms. -
"We have nothing to fear, but fear itself"
President Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated for the first time. His speech with its hallmark phrase, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself," begins to rally the public and Congress to deal with great depression issues. -
Securities Exchange Act
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is established with the signing of the Securities Exchange Act into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam is dedicated by President Roosivelt. -
Germany invades Denmark and Norway
Denmark surrenders on the day of the attack; Norway holds out until June 9 1940. -
Germany attacks Western Europe
France and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. -
U-boats Attack
The German U-boats attack merchant ships in the Atlantic. -
Italy enters war
Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21. -
Operation Barbarossa
Germany attacks Soviet Union as Operation Barbarossa begins. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor on an unexpected Sunday; Hitler issues the Night and Fog decree. -
United Nations
Declaration of the United Nations signed by 26 Allied nations. -
Invasion of Vichy France
The Germans and the Italians, both invade unoccupied Vichy France. -
British Drop Bombs
The British drop 3,000 tons of bombs during an air raid on Hamburg, Germany. -
Atomic Bombs dropped on Japan
First atomic bomb dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan.
Second atomic bomb dropped 3 days later on Nagasaki, Japan. -
Speech by Winston Churchill
Minister Winston Churchill condemns the Soviet Union’s policies in Europe and declares, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” Churchill’s speech is considered one of the opening volleys announcing the beginning of the Cold War. -
Radio Station launched
The United States launches The Voice of America, a pro-West radio station, to broadcast to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. -
President approves of bomb
President Truman approves of the Hydrogen bomb construction. -
Beginning of the Korean War
The Korean War begins its three year conflict when troops of North Korea, backed with Soviet weaponry, invaded South Korea. This act leads to U.S. involvement when two days later when President Truman ordered the United States Air Force and Navy to the peninsula. -
Rosenberg's found guilty
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty of conspiracy of wartime espionage and sentenced to death. They were executed June 19, 1953. -
Fighting Ceases come to an Agreement
Fighting ceases in the Korean War, North Korea, South Korea, the United States, and the Republic of China sign an armistice agreement -
Polio was Invented
The first large scale vaccination of children against polio begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Jonas Salk was head of the research lab for polio. -
AFL and CIO
The two largest American labor unions, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, merge to form the AFL-CIO, boasting membership of fifteen million. -
First Satellite was Launched into Space
Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit. It was a 58 cm diameter polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennae to broadcast radio pulses. -
Alaska becomes the 49th State
Alaska is admitted to the United States as the 49th state to be followed on August 21 by Hawaii.
