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Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson, the 28 President of the United States, was the acting president during WW1. He made the choice to enter the US into WW1. Also, he creating the League of Nations, a global organization working for peace, which was the predecessor to the United Nations. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was to be the heir of the Austria-Hungarian throne before his assassination. His assassination is thought to be the most immediate cause of WW1. -
Tsar Nicholas II
Tsar Nicholas II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, reigning from 1894 all the way through WW1. The Russian Revolution had forced Nicholas to abdicate the throne in 1917, ending Russia's 300-year Romanov dynasty. -
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin was a Russian revolutionary and politician. He would end up leading the October Revolution, becoming the first head of government in Soviet Russia while also leading during the first two years of the Soviet Union. After civil war, he would create a one-party state under the Communist Party. -
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was the First Lord of the Admiralty of Great Britain during the first half of WWI. He heavily improved Britain's Navy, in an attempt to counter the German's own growing Navy. For the second half of the war, he left Parliament and was temporarily made lieutenant-colonel of 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Belgian front. -
Machine Guns
Machine guns are fully automatic firearm designed for sustained direct fire. The Maxim machine gun, invented in 1884, was the first self powered machine gun and was widely adapted by all sides in WW1. -
Field Radios
Field Radios allowed long distance communication from long distances. This allowed communication up to the front lines, helped with scouting and preparation of soldiers during the war. -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
While driving through Sarajevo the provincial capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which were previously annexed by Austria-Hungary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were shot and killed by a Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip. The assassination is seen as the most immediate reason for the start of WW1. -
Submarine
Submarines are water vehicles that are able to be used independently underwater. The first use of such boats during the time of WW1 were the German U-Boats, submarines armed with torpedoes capable of sinking oncoming ships. They were key in the German's unrestricted submarine warfare during WW1. -
Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli Campaign was a military campaign in WW1, where the Allied Powers sought to weaken the Ottoman Empire by taking control of the Turkish straits. Even though they would be unsuccessful in this campaign, it would lead to a movement for Turkish independence and is considered the beginning of Australian and New Zealand national consciousness. -
Poison Gas
WW1 was seen as the first large-scale use of chemical warfare. These poisonous gases were used to reduce morale, injure, and kill opposing soldiers. These gases include tear gas, chlorine, and mustard gas. The amount of these gases used was so great and caused so much fear that they were used far less in the next World War. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun, fought on the hills north of Verdun, was the longest battle of WW1. Lasting 302 days, this battle was an attempt to weaken the French military. While successful in that regard, Germany also took heavy causalities and ending up having any land they took recaptured by France. -
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme would be one of the deadliest battles in human history, resulting in over 1 million injured or dead. The initial plan was for the Allies to force an early end to the war by invading into German territory. With the Allies only getting 10 kilometers into Germany and both sides having heavily casualties, the result of this war is often seen as inconclusive, with neither side having a conclusive victory. -
Tanks
Tanks are armored fighting vehicles designed for frontline combat. Their first use in WW1 was used by Britain during part of the Battle of the Somme. It success was mixed but promising, as they were rushed to the line. -
Battle of Belleau Wood
The Battle of Belleau Wood was the first major engagement of the US army in WW1. The US Marines held back the Germans as they were 39 miles from Paris, the closest Germany came to the French capital during the war. It is a key point in US Marine history.