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World war 1 begins
World War 1 started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated on June 28, 1914. -
Declares war
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia -
Declares war
Germany declares war on Russia. -
Declares war
Germany declares war on Russia. -
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Battles
The Battle of Tannenberg is fought between Germany and Russia. The Germans defeat the Russian Second Army. -
Declares war
Germany declares war on France as part of the Schlieffen Plan -
Declares war
Germany invades Belgium. Britain declares war on Germany -
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Battles
The advancing German army is stopped before Paris by the British and French at the First Battle of the Marne. The Germans dig in and four years of trench warfare begins. -
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Battles
The Allies defeat the Germans at the First Battle of Ypres -
Blockade
The British begin a naval blockade of Germany. -
Declares war
The Ottoman Empire declares war on the Allies. -
Lusitania sinks
German use of submarines to sink neutral shipping including, most famously, the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 with the death of almost 1,200 people, 128 of them Americans -
British passenger sink
The Lusitania, a luxury British passenger ship, is sunk by a German submarine. 1,195 civilians were killed. This act sparks international outrage and contributes to the United States joining the war against Germany. -
Battle
The Battle of the Somme begins. Over 1 million soldiers will be wounded or killed. -
Telegram
The British intercept the Zimmerman Telegram in which Germany tries to convince Mexico to join the war. This will result in the United States declaring war on Germany. -
American joins the war
Constant British propaganda efforts, culminating in the Zimmermann Telegram of February 1917, coupled with the German resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare and drew America into the war. -
Leaving war
The Russians agree to peace with the Central powers and leave the war. -
Fourteen point
President Woodrow Wilson issues his "Fourteen Points" for peace and an end to the war. -
War ends
Germany agrees to an armistice and the fighting comes to an end at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month. -
Armstice
Germany agrees to an armistice and the fighting comes to an end at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month.
