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On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the designated heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, along with his spouse, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student. The couple was shot at close range while traveling through Sarajevo, the capital of the province of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is recognized as a pivotal event that contributed to the outbreak of World War I. -
After Serbia partially rejected an ultimatum issued following the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This was the first formal declaration of war in what would become a worldwide battle,and European alliances began mobilizing. -
Germany invadedneutral Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan in order to attack France quickly. This violation of Belgium's neutrality drove Britain to declare war on Germany, dragging the British Empire into the growing battle. -
The French and British forcessuccessfully fought off the German advancenear the Marne River, stoppingtheir pushtowardParis. This critical fight marked the start of trench warfare, which would shape the Western Front for years. Ended 9/12/1914 -
The First Battle of Ypres saw intense fighting in Belgium as the Allies and Germans tried to outflankone another. This fight established the use of trench warfareand demonstrated thedamage that modern warfare would cause. Ended 11/22/1914 -
The Allies beganan ambitious campaignto capture the Dardanelles Strait and establish a supply route to Russia. The operation failed because of poor preparation, fierce Ottoman resistance, and harsh conditions, resulting in severe casualties and eventual Allied withdrawal. Ended 1/9/1916 -
A German U-boat torpedoed the British passenger liner RMS Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. This act increased tensions between Germany and the United States, fueling anti-German sentiment in the U.S. -
With more than 700,000 casualties, the Battle of Verdun was one of the war's bloodiest and longest battles. Verdun is a representation of French resilience because, despite German attempts to "bleed France white," French forces led by General Pétain managed to hold their ground. Ended 12/18/1916 -
The Allies launched the Battle of the Somme to relieve pressure on Verdun and break through German lines. The first day alone saw nearly 60,000 British casualties, making it the bloodiest day in British military history. The battle ended inconclusively after months of heavy fighting. Ended 11/18/1916 -
Germany sent a secret message to Mexico, proposing an alliance if the U.S. entered the war. Intercepted and decoded by British intelligence, the telegram enraged the American public and played a major role in shifting U.S. opinion toward joining the war. -
The United States officially entered the war on the side of the Allies after years of neutrality. President Woodrow Wilson, citing unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram, declared war on Germany, bringing new manpower and resources to the Allies. -
The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, seized power during the October Revolution (Julian calendar). They soon negotiated the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, formally withdrawing Russia from the war. This allowed Germany to focus all its efforts on the Western Front. The Eastern Front was no longer active. -
Germany launched a series of offensives, hoping to secure victory before American forces arrived in full strength. Despite initial gains, the offensives were ultimately repelled by the Allies, who soon launched their counteroffensive. Ended 7/18/1918 -
This marked Germany's final major offensive and a turning point in the war. Allied forces, supported by American troops, successfully countered the attack, forcing Germany into a defensive position. Ended 8/6/1918 -
At 11:00 AM on November 11, the fighting stopped following the signing of an armistice between the Allies and Germany. The agreement required Germany to evacuate occupied territories and effectively ended combat in World War I. -
The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, was the most important treaty of WW1. This peace agreement ended the war between Germany and the majority of the Allied Powers. The signing took place at the Palace of Versailles, five years following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The armistice halted the fighting and established certain principles, but it took six months of negotiations to finalize the treaty. Germany was excluded from negotiation prior to the treaty's signing.