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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austria - Hungar throne. He and his wife, Sophie, were touring the Balkan province of Bosnia and Herzegovina when he was assassinated on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo. He and his wife had already survived one assassination attempt earlier that day. As they returned from visiting people who had been injured in that attack, the driver of their car took a wrong turn which brought them into the path of another assassin who shot and killed them both. -
Germany declares war on Russia; France mobilises
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Turkey enters the war on the side of the Central Powers
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German army uses poision gas for the first time at Ypres
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Allied troops withdraw from Gallipoli
All of the remaining 20,000 Australians and New Zealanders were withdrawn from the Anzac area of Gallipoli. The last man to leave at 4.10 am on 20 December from North Beach was Colonel J Paton who was in charge of the ‘rear-guard’. There were virtually no casualties - to the end the Turks were unaware that a major evacuation was taking place. -
Tanks in action for the first time on the Somme
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President Wilson of the United States declares war on Germany
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Allied counteroffensive on the Western Front
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Austria - Hungary signs armistice
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Armistice signed at 11am - the guns fall silent