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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary's throne, and his wife, Sophie, are assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip while the couple were visiting Sarajevo. -
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World War One
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Austria declares war on Serbia
The assassination, committed by the Serbs, infuriated the Austrians and among other things, was a direct cause of the war. Image shows Gavrilo Princip, the man who shot Ferdinand and his wife. -
The Schlieffen Plan
Following Germanys entry to the war and their declaration of war on France, they began to invade other countries using The Schlieffen Plan. The plan was devised for an intended quick victory but failed because of France's defence leading to the historic Trench Warfare. -
The Battle of Marne
The Battle of Marne signifies the beginning of trench warfare in WW1.This battle resulted in hundreds and thousands of deaths. The battle was a significant one for the Allied Powers as it damaged Germany's plans to invade Paris. -
The Christmas Truce
Starting on Christmas Eve, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines. On Christmas morning, German soldiers entered "No-mans-land" calling out "Merry Christmas" in their enemie's native tongues.
The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer. -
First Zepellin Raid of WW1
Germany employed three zeppelins, the L.3, the L.4, and the L.6, in a two-day bombing mission against Britain. The L.6 encountered problems and turned back, but the other two succeeded in dropping bombs on English towns.
The raid began in January and continued afterwards. -
Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat
A German U-boat torpedoed and sank the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner en route from New York to Liverpool, England. This was a significant event as it changed public opinions of Germany in a negative way.
Posters urged Irishmen to join the war to fight against Germany. -
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest and bloodiest battle of WW1.The casualties from Verdun and the impact the battle had on the French Army was a primary reason for the British starting the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 in an effort to take German pressure off of the French at Verdun. -
America joins the war
America entered the war on this date. Up to that date, America had tried to keep out of World War One – though she had traded with nations involved in the war – but unrestricted submarine warfare, introduced by the Germans on January 9th, 1917, was the primary issue that caused Woodrow Wilson to ask Congress to declare war on Germany on April 2nd. Four days later, America joined World War One on the side of the Allies. This in turn lead to the defeat of Germany. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The signing of the Treaty was a peace settlement between Germany and the Allied powers. This was the official end of World War One. Many believe that the treaty was too harsh on the Germans and laid the groundwork for the eventual rise of Nazis in Germany and the eruption of World War II.
(British Prime Minister David Lloyd George (left), French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau (center), and American President Woodrow Wilson (right) on their way to the Versailles Peace Conference)
