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Archduke Assassination
This event was important because it was the first spark that began World War 1. -
Russia Mobilizes
This move starts a chain reaction that leads to the mobilization of the rest of the European Great Powers, and to the outbreak of hostilities. -
World War 1 begins
Germany invades Belgium, beginning World War I -
Germans Fire
The Germans fire shells filled with chlorine gas at Allied lines. This is the first time that large amounts of gas are used in battle, and the result is the near-collapse of the French lines, but the Germans are unable to take advantage of the breach -
Italy and the First World War
At a secret meeting held in England on 26th April 1915, representatives of the Italian government agreed to enter the war in return for financial help and the granting of land currently under the control of Austria-Hungary. The Treaty of London resulted in Britain granting an immediate loan of £50 million and a promise to support Italian territorial demands after the war -
Zimmerman Telegram
British give Wilson the Zimmermann Telegram, a message from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann proposing that Mexico side with Germany in case of war between Germany and the United States. Germany promises to return to Mexico the "lost provinces" of Texas and much of the rest of the American Southwest. -
U.S. Enters War
Congress authorizes a declaration of war against Germany. The United States enters World War I on the side of France and Britain -
Selective Service Act
Congress passes the Selective Service Act authorizing the draft. President Wilson claims he sees no other option and signs the bill into law. -
Germany and Russia Peace
The Germans sign a peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government of Russia. The terms of the treaty give Germany huge tracts of land that had been the Ukraine and Poland, and peace on the Eastern Front -
Battle of Cantigny
The Battle of Cantigny is the first major American offensive of the war. The Americans fight bravely and soon go on to larger attacks against German positions. -
Chateau-Thierry
The Americans attack the Germans at Chateau-Thierry. This battle would morph into the larger Battle of Belleau Wood. -
Belleau Wood Ends
The Battle of Belleau Wood ends with the final expulsion of the Germans from the wood, which marks the farthest German advance on Paris -
Battle of St. Mihiel
The Battle of St. Mihiel begins when 300,000 American troops under the direct command of General Pershing fling themselves into the German lines. -
Wilhelm Abdicates
Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates, ending all German hope for a victory. He and his retinue quietly slip over the border into the Netherlands where he lives out his life. -
Armistice Day
An Armistice is signed ending fighting on the Western Front.
