World War I Timeline

  • Archduke Francis Ferdinand Assassinated

    Archduke Francis Ferdinand Assassinated
    His wife, Sophie, was also assassinated.
    He was shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist.
    His death sparked a chain of events that caused WW1.
  • Austria-Hungary Declares War On Serbia

    Austria-Hungary Declares War On Serbia
    WW1 Starts here.
    Shortly afterward, European countries began declaring war on each other.
    The declaration of war was caused by Serbia rejecting the terms made by the Austrian-Hungary government in an ultimatum they sent to them just a day before.
  • Russian Army Mobilizes

    Russian Army Mobilizes
    The strength of the Russian army was about 1,400,000 before the war.
    The mobilization of the Russian army added 3,100,00 reserves to their army.
    Other than their army, Russia was not prepared for a war.
  • The Schlieffen Plan is Used

    The Schlieffen Plan is Used
    The Schlieffen Plan was originally made in 1905.
    The plan was that, in the case of war, Germany would attack France and then Russia.
    It failed miserably.
  • First Battle of the Marne

    First Battle of the Marne
    A battle between the French and German armies.
    The French won the Battle.
    Paris was not captured.
  • Battle of Gallipoli Starts

    Battle of Gallipoli Starts
    Submarines were a big part of the campaign.
    Allies never made it past the beach.
    It was between the British and the French.
  • Sinking of the Lusitania

    Sinking of the Lusitania
    1,197 people were killed overall.
    128 Americans were killed.
    Kapitänleutnant Walter Schwieger was the commander of the submarine that sank the ship, which is the submarine U-20
  • Battle of Gallipoli Ends

    Battle of Gallipoli Ends
    Both sides underestimated one another.
    They both hoped to win with only their Navies.
    Submarines played a big part in the battle.
  • Assassination of Rasputin

    Assassination of Rasputin
    He was believed to have magical powers and was ripped apart by people after he died.
    He was poisoned before he was shot.
    He was shot twice and didn't die, instead being thrown into a river where he drowned.
  • The Zimmermann Telegram Intercepted

    The Zimmermann Telegram Intercepted
    The British were the ones to intercept the telegram.
    The telegram was meant to go to the German ambassador in Mexico.
    The telegram was sent by German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann.
  • United States Enters WW1

    United States Enters WW1
    The main motivators for the US joining the war were the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmermann telegram.
    Woodrow Wilson was the one that led the US into WW1.
    They joined by declaring war on Germany.
  • Pandemic of 1918

    Pandemic of 1918
    The Spanish Flu was the disease that caused the Pandemic of 1918.
    It went around the world in only four months.
    It killed over 21 million people.
  • Second Battle of the Marne

    Second Battle of the Marne
    The Germans suffered heavy casualties.
    The Allies won the battles.
    The Battle lasted four days.
  • Treaty of Versailles

    Treaty of Versailles
    WW1 officially ends with The Treaty of Versailles.
    It is one of the most controversial armistice treaties in history.
    The treaty has 15 parts and 440 articles.
  • League of Nations is Founded

    League of Nations is Founded
    It tried to prevent war all around the globe.
    It is considered the predecessor to the United Nations.
    Unanimity was a big cause of the League of Nations' failure, along with multiple countries leaving.