World War I Timeline

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Jun 28, 1914

Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot to death with his wife by the Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. Sparked the outbreak of World War I.

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

Jul 28, 1914

This war declaration broke the peace between Europe's great powers.

Germany and Great Britain enter the war

Aug 3, 1914

Germany enters the war and invades Belgium. The attack on Belgium brings Great Britain into the war.

First German Zeppelin Attack

Jan 19, 1915

Germany uses a zeppelin to attack England. Zeppelins were a great advantage because they could observe the entire battlefield and were usually out of the range of enemy artillery.

Germany's blockade of Britain

Feb 4, 1915

German U-boat attacks on Allied and neutral shipping; declares blockade of Britain. This prompted Britain to later blockade Germany.

German U-boat sinks Luisitania

May 7, 1915

When a German U-boat sunk the Lusitania, a ship with American passengers, the U.S. and Germany went into a diplomatic crisis, prompting the U.S. to enter the war.

Battle of Verdun

Feb 21, 1916

Germany attacks Verdun, defended by the French. This was the longest battle of the war and cost much from both sides.

Battle of Jutland

May 31, 1916

The biggest naval battle in history fought between Britain and Germany. There was no clear victor.

Start of the Battle of Somme

Jul 1, 1916

In the Battle of Somme, the British and the French fought against Germany. This battle had the greatest British casualties in British military history, 60,000.

U.S. declares war on Germany

Apr 6, 1917

President Woodrow Wilson had delivered a war address to congress a few days before and congress agreed to join the fight against Germany

U.S. Espionage Act passed

Jun 15, 1917

This Act punished people for protesting the war or the U.S. government.

U.S. declares war on Austria-Hungary

Dec 7, 1917

U.S. realized that they must fight Austria-Hungary to win the war

Woodrow Wilson delivers "Fourteen Points" speech to Congress

Jan 8, 1918

The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I.

Germany ceases unrestricted submarine warfare

Oct 21, 1918

Germany will no longer warn ships before attacking them. This caused the hostility between other countries and Germany to rise.

Armistice Day

Nov 11, 1918

Armistice ended hostility between Allied forces and Germany and France. Ended hostilities on the Western Front of WWI. Took in effect at 11 o'clock in the morning, "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month." Today this day is known as Veterans Day.