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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was with his wife Sophie in a car parading through the streets of Sarajevo. Members of the Black Hand had lined up along the street to try and shoot the archduke, but they were unsuccessful. The archduke's driver later took a wrong turn and ended up on the same street as Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand. Princip shot both the archduke, and his wife. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary was very angry at Serbia. Therefore, they issued an ultimatum to Serbia, and Serbia rejected it. Exactly one month after the archduke's assassination, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and the first World War begins. -
Russia mobilizes
Russia told Germany to hold back on fighting, but Russia began partial troop mobilization anyway. Germany warned Russia, but they did not listen, so Germany also began to partially mobilize.On July 31, Russia fully mobilizes, and Germany becomes mad. -
Germany declares war on Russia
After more than one warning, Russia fully mobilized in the war. Germany was enraged and declared war on Russia. -
Germany declares war on France & invades Belgium
On August 1, France begins to mobilize because of events starting to 'stir.' Two days later, Germany declares war on France and invades neutral Belgium. -
Great Britain declares war on Germany
Because they were allies with France, Great Britain was angered at Germany and declared war on them. -
The sinking of the Lusitania
During the war, nations became angry at Germany because of u-boats sinking their ships. Germany agreed to weaken their use of u-boats. They would come to the surface before attacking to warn passengers. But without warning, they returned to their unrestricted submarine warfare. They hit and sunk the Lusitania, a British liner. Over 1100 people were killed, 128 of them being Americans. The United States was furious. -
The United States enters the war
Woodrow Wilson tried his best to stay neutral during the war, but he eventually felt that he had to join it. This was mainly because of the sinking of the Lusitania. 128 American passengers were killed, and Wilson became enraged. On top of the sinking of the Lusitania, numerous American ships were being hit by German u-boats after agreeing to stop. Woodrow Wilson felt that it was time to join the war. -
Woodrow Wilson gives 14 Points speech
US president Woodrow Wilson gave his 14 Points speech to a joint session of Congress. Points 1-5 were a 'message to the world.' It was a set of laws that he asked the world to follow in order to prevent future wars. Points 6-13 'rebuilt Europe.' He talked about how lands would be redistributed after the war. His final 14th point established the League of Nations. -
Armistice is signed
In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice was signed to end the war. Fighting had ended along the western front. In the armistice, the Central Powers and Allies agreed to stop fighting.
