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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
He was killed in Sarajevo along with his wife Duchess Sophie by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip. -
Austrian-Hungarian Empire Declares war on Serbia
Russia mobilizes -
Germany declares war on Russia
four days after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, two more great European powers—Russia and Germany—declare war on each other. -
Germany Invades Belgium
German military operations in Belgium were intended to bring the 1st, 2nd and 3rd armies into positions in Belgium. -
Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg was fought between Russia and Germany from 26 August to 30 August 1914, during the first month of World War I -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. -
Battle of Verdun
One of the largest battles of the First World War on the Western Front between the German and French armies. -
Battle of the somme
A disastrous Allied offensive at the Somme, where Allied casualties numbered in the millions. -
Zimmerman telegram
message from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann proposing that Mexico side with Germany in case of war between Germany and the United States. In return, Germany promises to return to Mexico the "lost provinces" of Texas and much of the rest of the American Southwest. -
Wilson for war
President Wilson outlines his case for war to Congress. -
U.S enters World war 1
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. Although criticized for destroying democracy at home while fighting for it abroad, President Wilson claims he sees no other option and signs the bill into law. -
USSR withdraws from war
Russian revolutionaries setup a Communist goverment, attempting to make peace with the Central Powers. -
World War 1 ends
The Central Powers, tired of fighting, sign the armistice that ends World War 1
