ww1 timeline

  • sergeant Alvin York was born

    sergeant Alvin York was born
    sergeant york was born in rural Tennessee to a poor family. Alvin was one of 11 children. Alvin's family was made up of farmers and blacksmiths. Alvin received minimal schooling and spent most of his childhood working.
  • assassination of arch duke Franz Ferdinand

    assassination of arch duke Franz Ferdinand
    archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was murdered causing world war I to begin. the assassin was a Bosnian Serbian nattionalist. the Austria/Hungary government saw this as a direct attack
  • battle of Ypres

    battle of Ypres
    the German army tried to break through allied lines in Belgium. there were over 100 thousand casualties on both sides. this battle was the first time trench warfare became common.
  • sinking of the Lusitania

    sinking of the Lusitania
    a german u-boat torpedoed a British cruise ship killing 1195 people. this killed 128 Americans. the international prize laws about how a boat had to be warned before an attack was broken. the president wanted to maintain peace but this eventually led to the US joining the war.
  • usa joins the war

    more British ships with US passengers were torpedoed. British intelligence found the Zimmerman letter that the germans were trying to form an alliance with Mexico against the US.
  • joins the army

    joins the army
    Alvin York joined the 82nd division and was sent to France when he was 29. york was a Christian and believed war was wrong but he ended up getting drafted and had no choice but to fight.
  • medal of honor

    medal of honor
    sergeant York leads a group of 17 men to silence a german machine gun operation and he came back with over 130 german prisoners and around 20 confirmed kills
  • armistice day

    armistice day
    all of Germany's allies surrendered. Germany was left with no choice but to surrender. the agreement stated that Germany had to leave its occupied territory and release all the prisoners.
  • a new farm

    a new farm
    after the war ended a group of Tennessee businessmen bought a farm for york and his family
  • death

    death
    sergeant york was confined to bed with health problems and died in his home in Nashville. He was buried at wolf river cemetary