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The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. This event was important to the US because it marked the beginning of WW1. -
The US Declares Neutrality
On August 4, 1914, the US declared its neutrality from WW1. -
Lusitania Sinks
A German U-Boat torpedoes the British passenger liner Lusitania off the Irish coast. It sinks in 18 minutes, drowning 1,201 persons, including 128 Americans. President Woodrow Wilson subsequently sends four diplomatic protests to Germany. -
American voters re-elect President Woodrow Wilson
He narrowly won re-election in the 1916 United States presidential election, boasting how he kept the nation out of wars in Europe and Mexico. He planned for America to have no involvement in WW1. -
German Telegram Interception
A coup was revealed between Germany and Mexico after a German telegram was intercepted by Great Britain detailing a potential alliance between Mexico and Germany. Germany had promised Mexico that they would be able to regain territories that were lost to the US. The telegram was passed along by the British to the Americans and was then made public, causing an outcry from interventionists in the US, such as former president Teddy Roosevelt, who favored American military involvement in the war. -
The US Declares War on Germany
Germany's resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 was the primary motivation behind Wilson's decision to lead the United States into WW1. -
The first American troops land in France
On 26th June 1917, the first 14,000 American soldiers began arriving at the port of St Nazaire in France. Their arrival had been kept a secret to further guard against German intervention, but it did not take long for the local French population to begin cheering them through the streets. -
The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by Congress
The Sedition Act of 1918 curtailed the free speech rights of U.S. citizens during time of war. Passed on May 16, 1918, as an amendment to Title I of the Espionage Act of 1917, the act provided for further and expanded limitations on speech. -
The Allied Powers Defeat Germany
On November 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. Although fighting continued elsewhere, the armistice between Germany and the Allies was the first step to ending WW1. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles marked as the formal ending for WW1. The US lead the negotiations on the treaty.