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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
A teenage Serbian nationalist gunned down Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. -
Great War Begins
rigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary -
Kaiser declares “open season” on ships
On this day in History, Germany declares war zone around British Isles, Wilhelm announced Germany's intention to sink any and all ships -
Lusitania sank
British ocean liner Lusitania is torpedoed without warning by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland. Within 20 minutes, the vessel sank into the Celtic Sea. Of 1,959 passengers and crew, 1,198 people were drowned, including 128 Americans. -
Battle of the Somme
a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. -
Zimmerman note intercepted
In the telegram, intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence in January 1917, Zimmermann instructed the ambassador, Count Johann von Bernstorff, 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 on Germany
President Wilson appeared before a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Germany -
Convoy System
a group of merchant vessels sailing together, with or without naval escort, for mutual security and protection -
Espionage Act passed
A United States federal law was passed shortly after the US entered World War 1 -
Russia Pulls out of the War
Instead of focusing on war, Vladimir Lenin wanted to focus on building a concrete communist nation. -
Flu Epidimic
It killed more people than the Great Wars, somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. Has been called the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. -
Fourteen Points Speech
President Wilson set down 14 points as a blueprint for world peace -
Sedition Act passed
extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a negative light -
Germany Signs Armistice
an armistice during the First World War between the Allies and Germany -
Wilson re-elected
the Democratic candidate, was pitted against Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes, the Republican candidate.