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Assassination of the Archduke
Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was in line to be the Emperor of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, went to Sarajevo to inspect the imperial armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His wife was with him because they were celebrating their wedding anniversary. Ferdinand and his wife were touring Sarajevo in an open car, when a Serbian nationalist assassinated them. This was said to have sparked World War I. -
World War I Begins
Austria-Hungary decided that they should prepare for an invasion of Serbia. Exactly one month after the assassinations, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, which is the start of the first World War. The war was declared because Serbia would not suppress its nationalist movement. The actions of Serbia is what caused Austria-Hungary to become infuriated and begin the war. The week after the war was declared, most of the European nations had chosen their side. -
Invasion of Belgium
The invasion of Belgium took place on August 4, 1914. Germany needed a free passage across Belgium. The German government sent a letter to the Belgian government for a right of free passage because having free passage would make it easier for German troops to attack France. It would give the German military the upper hand. However, Belgium was a neutral country so Germany gave Belgium an ultimatum. If Belgium did not allow free passage, then Germany would take control of Belgium. -
The Second Battle of Ypres
On April 22, 1915, the Germans initiated their first offensive battle of the year. This was called the Second Battle of Ypres. It started with the usual usage of guns, but when the gunfire was slowing down, chlorine gas drifted down into French and Algerian trenches. The gases covered four miles of the front, and killed two divisions of Allied troops. The Allied line was invaded, but the Germans were also affected by the gases, and the Germans were unable to take control of the Allied lines. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The British Admiralty warned the Lusitania captain to just go around the area they intended to go through. The captain of ignored the warnings, and the ship was hit by a torpedo. The torpedo caused an explosion, which was supposedly the boilers on the ship. Germany said that the Lusitania was an enemy ship and it was carrying munitions, so their actions should be justified. However, 1,201 people drowned and many of them were women and children, including 128 Americans. -
Suspension of U-boats
The usage of U-boats by the Germans began around February, and lasted until September. The U.S. was angry because the Lusitania was sank and 128 Americans were killed. There were many U.S. protests, which is what led to the suspension of the U-boat campaign. The U-Boats were sent to the Mediterranean Sea after being suspended. They were also told to stay away from American shipping lanes in the Atlantic. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the deadliest battles of World War I. The battle took place from February 21, 1916 to December 16th, 1916. The battle was located around Verdun in northeastern France. By the end of the battle, the Germans lost about 337,000 soldiers. The French army lost more soldiers than the Germans, with a death toll of 377,231 soldiers. Even though the French army lost more soldiers, the German army retreated before achieving its objective, therefore the French army won. -
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was another one of the largest battles, it lasted from July 1, 1916 to November 18, 1916. The battle was fought by the Allies and the Germans. On the first day of the battle, the British had over 57,000 casualties. At the end of the battle, the total death toll was more 1.5 million soldiers. A long stalemate began. The British Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig, called off his army's offensive attack which ended the battle. -
Submarine Usage Begins Again
After the sinking of the Lusitania and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sent a letter to Germany demanding an end to submarine usage, the Germans suspended the U-boats. However, a lot of people did not like this. A lot of Germans believed that submarine usage would lead them to victory. So after a lot of people discussing bringing back the U-boats, everyone began to agree. Which lead to Bethmann Hollweg going to the German Reichstag government and announcing that submarine usage would being again. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
The German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, was sending a message to Mexico to propose an alliance between the two. Germany wanted an alliance with Mexico just in case of a war between the U.S. and Germany. This telegram was intercepted and then deciphered by British intelligence. In the telegram, financial aid was offered to Mexico if it agreed to enter any future U.S-German conflict as a German ally. -
The U.S. Enters the War
Many U.S. ships traveling to Britain were damaged or sunk by the Germans, which made the U.S. very angry. Then the Zimmerman Telegram was the last straw for the U.S. The U.S. entered the war after two and a half years of being neutral. The U.S. Senate voted 82 to 6 to declare war against Germany, and then the U.S. House of Representatives endorsed the decision by a vote of 373 to 50. The U.S. Army’s helped make a major turning point in the war and helped the Allies win the war -
U.S. Congress Passes the Selective Service Act
The Allies needed new soldiers to relieve the men on the battlefields of the Western Front who were exhausted from fighting non-stop. President Wilson tried to improve military preparedness during 1916 but the U.S. only had a small army of around 100,000 men, who were not trained or equipped at all. Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which President Wilson signed into law on May 18, 1917. The act required all men in the U.S. between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for military service. -
Battle of Cantigny
The U.S. formally entered World War I in April 1917, but they were not ready to send high numbers of soldiers until a year later. By May 1918, large numbers of American soldiers arrived in France, which was just in time for the German offensive. The Battle of Cantigny became the first major U.S. victory. The Americans took over 100 German prisoners. The victory showed the Germans that the Americans were not be messed with. -
Battle of Belleau
The Battle of Belleau was the first big battle fought by American soldiers in World War I. The U.S. Marines, who were backed up by U.S. Army artillery, launched many attacks on the Germans. However, the German General Erich Ludendorff was determined to win the battle. The Germans attacked the U.S. troops with machine guns, artillery, and gas, but it did not work as well as they expected. On June 26, the Americans won the battle but around 10,000 troops were dead, wounded, or MIA. -
Battle of St. Mihiel
The American Expeditionary Force, under the command of General John J. Pershing, launched its first major offensive operation. Bad weather played a big part in this battle, the trenches filled with water and the fields turned to mud, which affected the usage of tanks. By September 16, 1918, St. Mihiel was German free. The American forces went further south and they combined forces with British and French and defeated the Germans. -
Armistice Day
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, World War I ended. That morning, at 5 A.M. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies. World War I caused 9 million soldiers to die and 21 million soldiers to be wounded. At least five million civilians died from disease, starvation, or exposure.
