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Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
Franz Ferdinand, who was the oldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig, was assassinated along with his wife, Sophie. Archduke Ferdinand had been warned about ongoing threats made by the Serbian nationalist group, "Black Hand." He ignored the warnings, traveling to Bosnia anyway. During their to visit Sarajevo, a "Black Hand" member shot both Ferdinand and his wife, and they died before reaching the hospital. Although tensions had been risen before, this event is classified as the cause of World War I. -
Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was fought during September of 1914. Both the French and German had lost about 250,000 soldiers, causalities high on both sides. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) lost about 13,000 men as well. This battle was the beginning of trench warfare, which dominated the rest of the war. The French were able to save Paris, defeating Germany, who's Schlieffen Plan failed. The battle ended after four days later, on September 10, 1914. -
Christmas Truce
On Christmas Eve, Allied soldiers overheard German soldiers singing "Silent Night." The Allied soldiers joined in with the Germans, finishing the carol. The next day, on Christmas, multiple German soldiers approached the Allied soldiers from across no man's land, unarmed. Although they were enemies, they shook hands. They spent the rest of the day singing and playing football together. -
Second Battle of Ypres
The 2nd battle of Ypres was the first battle Canada was apart of since the war had started. It also was the first successful use of chlorine gas, which created a gap in lines. Canadians urinated in their clothes so they could breathe to hold their line, then counter-attacked. The battle ended on May 25, 1915, with 70,000 French and British causalities. Germany had 35,000 causalities. -
Italy Joins the Allies
Italy had managed to remain neutral for almost an entire year. Eventually, they shockingly sided with the Allied Powers, despite the fact that they had sided with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the years leading up to the war. Italy had realized that the Allied had the upper hand in the war. By siding with them, Italy hoped that the Allies would reward them when the war was over. -
The Lusitania Sank
The Lusitania was a British ocean liner had more than 1,900 passengers and crew members aboard on May 7th, 1915. Warnings to evade the U-boats were by the British Admiralty, the captain of the Lusitania ignored them. While off the coast of Ireland, a torpedo hit the ship, causing an explosion, which sunk the ship. There were more than 1,100 causalities, 120 of which were American. This event caused the public opinion of several countries, including the United States, to turn against Germany. -
Britain Introduces Conscription
Britain's government passed the Military Service Act after beginning to run out of volunteer soldiers, which started conscription. Conscription is the process of calling up men and women (only men at the time) to serve in the military, even if they didn't want to. Men between 18 and 40 were called up for military duty, excluding widowed men with children and ministers of any religion. German, French, Italian, and many more armies conscripted men. America eventually began to conscript as well. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle in the history of World War I. Lasting from February to December of 1916, the battle resulted in 700,000 causalities. Flame throwers were used largely for the first time throughout this battle. Four days in, Germans had captured about 10,000 French soldiers. Germany exhausted themselves and retreated in June, which lasted until December. The battle ended on December 18, 1916 and the result was a victory for the French. -
Sinking of the Sussex
After breaking promise to not sink any passengers ships, Germany torpedoed an unarmed French passenger steamer. 80 of its passengers, which included Americans, were killed or wounded. This caused the U.S. to warn Germany that unless Germany changed its tactics, American would end the diplomatic relationship between the two of them. Germany agreed that if the United States could not convince Britain to lift its blockade, they would continue with the unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Battle of Somme
An offensive Allied Powers attack on Germany, the Battle of Somme turned into a five month long battle. The week prior to the battle, the Allies attacked the barbed wire surrounding the German defenses with heavy artillery. The attack hadn't done as much damage as hoped. The Germans wounded tens of thousands British troops on the first day. Tanks had made it to the battlefield for the first time on September 15 during the battle. There were more than 1 million deaths at the end of the battle. -
First Use of Tanks
Tanks were first used in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. They were developed at the beginning of World War I. Before their issues had been able to be fixed, the tanks were rushed into battle. Major impacts weren't made by tanks until the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. 350 tanks were used during the battle along with soldiers. -
Zimmermann Telegram
British agents intercepted a telegram from a German secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, to the German ambassador, Heinrich von Eckardt, in Mexico. The telegram proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany. It also stated that if war with the United States broke out, Germany would support Mexico in retrieving lost territory. Zimmermann told von Eckardt to use the Mexicans as a "go-between to try and incite the Japanese empire to join the German cause." The British sent the telegram to the U.S. -
America Enters the War
President Woodrow Wilson declared neutrality for America at the beginning of World War I. But, due to the alliance between the United States and Britain, tensions rose between Germany and the United States. Germany had sunk multiple U.S. ships, and although they said it was accidental, continued sinking ships that belonged to the U.S. or carried U.S. passengers. President Wilson eventually declared war against Germany. Thrusting America joined the Allied Powers--Britain, France, and Russia. -
Russia Leaves the War
In March of 1918, Russia signed the Treaty of Brestlitovsk. This ended Russia's involvement in the war. Signing the treaty meant that Russia would give up some of its territory and allow Germany to use the areas to aid their war effort. The treaty came as the result of the German advances into Russia. Russian government faced pressure to establish peace and fix the problems within Russia. -
Lucius Nash - Trip With His Friend
In a letter to his parents, Lucius recalls the trip he took with his friend, Harry. They took a thirty mile train ride and visited a music hall. He and Harry got the chance to sleep in a real bed and get a good night's sleep. Lucius stated that "it does seem so good to get off the ship for a few hours and forget everything..." It was his first time being ashore since three weeks before. -
Lucius Nash - Grueling Week
Lucius recalls a rough week at sea in one of his letters to his family. He talked about how it rained all day long, and it was foggy and windy. On the worst day of the week, they had to coal ship and he ended up eating coal dust. He stated that they had to stand in the rain for about 17 hours. Also, in the letter, he talked about how no one slept for more than six hours that week. -
Lucius Nash - Special Request for Leave
Lucius and his friend Harry put in special requests for leave. They both were accepted and they left for London that same afternoon. He and Harry arrived the next day and went to the C.S. Welfare house, which was a house for those in the service to stay at while on leave. While on the trip, they explored London, going to cafes and saw a show on Broadway. They also went to different museums and exhibits and made the most of their trip before they had to return back to the service. -
Lucius Nash - Grandfather Passed
Lucius learned of his grandfather's passing in a letter from his mother and father. In his letter he wrote back to them, he stated that he knew his grandfather wasn't in good health, but that his death was surprising. He wished that he could've seen his grandfather again before he died. But, he said that he knew it was for the best. Also, Lucius said that he would write his grandmother, in her time of need. -
Lucius Nash - Surrendered German Fleet
When describing the German fleet in a letter to his parents, Lucius described it as a "sight he shall never forget." The ship he was on steamed through all of the 70 ships and passed all of the German crew members on board. The Germans didn't speak to them and they didn't speak to the Germans. After passing the Germans, they passed other English ships, who played the "Star Spangled Banner" and cheered as they passed. -
Treaty of Versailles
The official peace treaty to end World War I, known as the Treaty of Versailles, was signed in the palace of Versailles, near Paris. The treaty punished Germany and met the goals of the allied powers. Germany agreed to pay for the reparations caused. The French and British wanted Germany to face heavier consequences, while President Wilson recommended an easier peace agreement. Germany ended up losing 13% of their land, paying 132 billion, which sent Germany into a great depression.
