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German Invention of the Flamethrower
The Germans were the first to use flamethrowers in World War 1, this idea/invention was later adapted by the British and French. The flamethrowers that the Germans were using could fire streams of flame as far as 130 feet. Before the British and French created their own flamethrower they were terrified of being a victim of the flamethrower. -
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist, during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. This assassination led to a chain of events causing an outbreak. These outbreaks led to the start of WW1. -
World War 1 Begins
After the tragic loss of Archduke Ferdinand, there was an outbreak off killing sprees, these led to the war. Ferdinand's unfortunate assassination basically set of a trigger that declared war among all. This war was mainly caused by M.A.I.N which led to the death of Ferdinand. -
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Battle of Marne
This battle was fought between Germany and the allies of France and Britain. The Germans in this fight did not stay tight together which allowed for an easy charge with killing opportunities for the Allies. The Germans were forced to retreat a couple of days later because of the number of men they had lost, which explains the short battle time. -
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Battle of Gallipoli
This battle was an unsuccessful attempt by the allied powers to control the sea route from Russia to Europe during WW1. The battle began with a failed attempt at a naval attack by British and French ships on the Dardanelles Straits. This battle has an estimated 27,000 French and 115,000 British soldiers that were killed or wounded. -
Lusitania Sinks
The British ocean liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine of the south coast of Ireland. Within 20 minutes the Lusitania ship sunk into the Celtic Sea. Out of the 1,959 passengers and crew 1.198 drowned, which included 128 Americans. -
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Battle of Verdun
This battle started with the German Army who attacked the French near Verdun. This battle was the biggest and longest in world history, being fought on a very small piece of land, with so many counterattacks, and casualties. This battle had an estimated 700,000 casualties. -
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Battle of Somme
This battle was named after the French River Somme where it was fought. On the first day alone the British Army lost 19,240 men. Although they had lost so many men they continued to fight and the allies were able to eventually gain about seven miles of territory. -
Zimmermann Note
On January 16, 1917, Arthur Zimmermann of Germany sent a coded telegraph to the ambassador in Mexico City, that informed him that Germany was intending to begin unrestricted submarine warfare on February 1, 1917. Zimmermann proposed an alliance (where two countries come together over a mutual benefit) with the ambassador in case of war breaking out. -
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Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was one of the most explosive political events of the 20th century. This occurred because the peasants and working-class people of Russia revolted against the government of Tsar Nicholas ll. These people were led by Vladimir Lenin, they were called the Bolsheviks. -
U.S. Enters War
The U.S. declared war against Germany 2 days after the U.S. Senate voted 82 to 6. Then the U.S. House of Representatives also voted on this and voted 373 to 50. Through these 2 voting opportunities is how the U.S. would enter the World War. -
Spanbroekmolen Mine
The Spanbroekmolen Mine was finally completed on the night of June 6th and blown up the next day by those battling at Messines Bridge. Before the explosion took place the mine was about 88 feet deep, 90 feet wide at the rim, and the diameter at the bottom was 250 feet. The commanders of the 36th Division could not wait to see if the news about their mine was true. Today this crater is a memorial for all the fallen soldiers in the battle and it is called The Pool of Peace. -
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Battle of Messines
This battle was engaged by the British second army and was victorious over the Germans at Messines Bridge in Northern France. The explosives that were used during this battle could be heard in London which is 140 miles away from Messines Bridge. In this time of war though, these sounds of the explosion were normal. -
Russia Withdraws From War
Russia since November of 1917 was being led by Vladimir Lenin who wanted to concentrate on building up a communist state and wanted to pull Russia out of the war completely. He was able to take Russia out of the war by agreeing to the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk with Germany. -
Treaty of Brest-Litvosk
This treaty gave the territories of Finland, Ukraine, and Baltic and Polish territories. This treaty also meant Germany removing any of their armies from Russian lands. This treaty ended Russia's participation in World War 1. -
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Battle of Chateau-Thierry
This battle was a very short one which was one of the first actions of the American Expeditionary Forces, under General John J. The battle was initiated by the Germans in hope of taking advantage of the new AEF. This battle was apart of the Second Battle of the Marne. -
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Battle at Argonne Forest
This battle was the last of the first World War. This battle was a huge attack against the whole line, with the prompt goal of reaching the railroad junction of Sedan. The American and French saw this battle as a way to end the war. This battle lasted for 47 days. -
Armistice
WW1 ended with an armistice (a truce) rather than surrender. This truce occurred because both sides had suffered too much to continue. Germany proposed this armistice in early October and went through the U.S. President Woodrow Wilson because they feared that the British and the French would insist upon harsh terms. -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
The Versailles Treaty was an agreement that ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the U.S,). This treaty was signed exactly 5 years after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, that led to war. Terms of peace were negotiated and all nations had agreed to stop fighting. -
First Meeting of the League of Nations
The first meeting was held in Paris. The Leagues main task was to ensure that war never broke out again. The league also made judgments on the disputes going on.
