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Assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand
The Arch Duke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a member of the terrorist group The Black Hand. Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of the Austrian Hungary Empire and was visiting Bosnia which was ruled by Austria Hungary. The Black Hand had wanted Bosnia to be under the control of Serbia - not Austria-Hungary. -
Austria Hungary Declares War on Serbia
Austria-Hungary accused the Serbian government of organizing the assassination of Ferdinand. They declared war. -
Russia Mobilizes it Troops
Russia orders it's troops to mobilize in response to Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia. -
Germany Declares war on Russia
On July 28th, Germany (Austria-Hungary's ally), requests Russia to cancel the mobilization of their troops. Russia did not reply. On August 1st, Germany declares war on Russia. -
Germany Declares War on France
Germany declares war on France (Russia's Ally). -
Britian Declares War on Germany
To reach France, Germany had to head through neutral Belgium. Because of Britain's promise to protect Belgium, they declared war on Germany. Now it is a major war. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A German submarine torpedoed the Lusitania, a British passenger ship, killing 1,200 people including 128 Americans. This outraged President Wilson and he had threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Germany if they did not stop sinking passenger ships. For fear of the U.S. joining the war, they agreed to warn ships before attackings. This was known as the Sussex Pledge. -
Battle of Verdun Begins
The Germans believed that the key to winning the war would be NOT on the Western Front fighting the Russians, but on the Eastern Front, defeating the French. They thought if they defeated the French, then Britian will either seek terms with Germany or become defeated. In addition to this battle against France, Germans would use unrestricted submarine attacks around Britian ports - "starving" Britian. -
Wilson is Re-elected as President
Republican Charles Evans Hughes runs against Wilson for Presidency. Even though Hughes favors neutrality in regards to the war, Wilson supporters create an image for Wilson that "he has kept us out of war". The race was close and Wilson had won. -
Battle of Verdun Ends
After 10 months of fighting the battle finally ends. The Battle of Verdun was the longest fighting battle in WWI history. The Germans lost over 400,000 soldiers and the French had lost even more (the exact number of men killed on either side is not known). Trench warfare was a major factor in the battle lasting so long. With trench warfare, each side was only able to gain a small segment of the enemy territory at a time. Each would take turns gaining back and forth. -
Zimmerman Telegram
In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This message helped draw the United States into the war and thus changed the course of history. The telegram had such an impact on American opinion that, "No other single cryptanalysis has had such enormous consequences." -
Germany warns of its Submarine Warfare
Germany decided to renew his usage of submarine warfare. It warned neutral nations that it will use their U-boats to attack any ship that nears Britain. Germans knew that this will probably cause the U.S. to enter the war but they had hoped that they would have defeated the Allies before U.S. troops were able to reach Europe. -
selective service act passed
Before the us could fight they need to enlarge its armed forces. On 5/18/1917 congress passed the selective service act which required all men ages 21-30 to register for the draft. In the next 18 months four million men and women joined the armed forces from every ethnic group. -
Battle of Argonne Forest
More than 1,000,000 American Soldiers pushed through the Argonne Forest advauncing onto the German Soldiers. After 47 days, the Americans broke through the German defenses, suffering more than 100,000 casualties. British, France and Belgian forces also smashed through the German lines in their areas. -
Beginning of the End of the War
On October 4, 1918, Prince Max of Baden, head of the German cabinet, secretly cabled President Wilson, "To avoid further bloodshed, the German government requests the President to arrange the immediate conclusion of an armistice on land, by sea and in the air". Wilson agreed with two conditions: Germany must accept a plan for peach and the German Emperor must "abdicate" or give up power.
