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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On a trip to Bosnia, the capital of Sarajevo Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot by a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The nationalist were mas at Ferdinand because they Bosnia and Herzegovina should be apart of Serbia. Austria-Hungary blamed the Serbian government for the attack. Russia supported Serbia, Austria asked that Germany would step in on to side against Russia and its allies, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia beginning First World War. -
Start of WWI
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia due to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, after hearing news of Russia's army mobilizing. The German army then launched its attack on Russia's ally, France, through Belgium, violating Belgian neutrality and bringing Great Britain into the war as well. -
Christmas Truce Observed on Western Front
The sound of Christmas carols across No Man’s Land encourages troops from both sides to exchange greetings. The truce is spontaneous and was experienced by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of soldiers. -
Germans Fight with Poison Gas
German forces along the western front fired more than 150 tons of lethal chlorine gas against two French colonial divisions at Ypres, Belgium. This was the first major gas attack by the Germans. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
AGerman U-boat torpedoed and sank the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner en route from New York to Liverpool, England. Of the more than 1,900 passengers and crew members on board, more than 1,100 perished, including more than 120 Americans. When the war first began President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the U.S. At first the Germans promised to stop unrestricted submarine but did not. These actions caused the U.S. to declare war on Germany -
Women in London Demonstrate for the Right to Work in War Industries
In London, women demonstrate for the right to work in war industries with banners proclaiming: “Women Demand the Right to Serve” and “The Situation is Serious – Women Must Help To Save It.” Between 1914 and 1918, an estimated two million women replaced men in employment. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/women_employment_01.shtml -
Germany Limits Submarines Attacks
Germany limits its submarine attacks after the of the Lusitania. They do this to try to keep America out of the war. By doing this it hurts the German's tactics of preventing American supplies from reaching France and Britain -
Marie Curie Involved in the War Effort
Marie Curie helps to equip ambulances with X-ray equipment so wounded soldiers at the front can receive immediate care. http://theconversation.com/marie-curie-and-her-x-ray-vehicles-contribution-to-world-war-i-battlefield-medicine-83941 -
British Use in Tanks in Warfare for the First Time
During the Battle of the Somme, the British launch a major offensive against the Germans, employing tanks for the first time in history. The tanks advanced over a mile into enemy lines but were too slow to hold their positions during the German counterattack and subject to mechanical breakdown. -
The United States Severs Diplomatic Relation with Germany
Due to the reintroduction of the German Navy's policy of unlimited submarine warfare President Wilson, the government had no choice but to cut ties with Germany. Wilson cautioned that war would follow if Germany followed through on its threat to sink American ships without warning. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The letter was sent by German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, intended for Heinrich von Eckardt, the German ambassador to Mexico. It explained that if the U.S. entered the war, Von Eckardt was to approach Mexico’s president to offer secret wartime alliance. Germany would provide military and financial support for a Mexican attack on the U.S. and in exchange, Mexico would be free to annex territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/zimmermann -
German U-Boats Sinks the S.S. Aztec
The American steamer was torpedoed without warning by a German U-Boat as enters British water. Twenty- eight American drown. -
President Wilson Delivers his War Message to Congress
"The world must be made safe for democracy," U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. These were the words delivered by the President as he appeared before Congress. Many events led to his war message, such as the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmermann Telegram. The final straw came on April 1, 1917, when the armed U.S. steamer Aztec was torpedoed and 28 of its crew members drowned. The U.S. could not stand for any more aggression towards the United States by Germany. -
The U.S. Enters the War
The U.S. Senate voted 82 to 6 to declare war against Germany, the U.S. House of Representatives endorsed the decision by a vote of 373 to 50, and the United States formally entered the First World War -
Selective Service Act
After the United States formally entered the First World War, the U.S Congress passes the Selective Service Act on May 18, 1917, giving the U.S. the power to draft soldiers. The act required all men in the U.S. between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for military service. Within a few months, 10 million men across the country had registered in the military draft.
By the end of the war 24 million men had registered under the Selective Service Act. -
Bombing of England
Folkestone, England is bombed by German airplanes leading to 95 civilian casualties while 195 are injured. The concept of strategic bombing of civilian targets introduces the reality of “Total War” to England and the world. -
First American Draftees are Chosen by Lottery
In Washington, D.C., Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, blindfloded draws from a large fishbowl in a lottery for the first American draftees, as prescribed under the Selective Service Act. -
President Wilson Outlines His Fourteen Points
Wilson outlined his vision for a stable, long-lasting peace in Europe, the Americas and the rest of the world following World War I. Wilson’s proposal called for the Allies to set unselfish peace terms with the defeated Central Powers, including freedom of the seas, the restoration of territories conquered during the war and the right to national self-determination in such contentious regions as the Balkans. -
U.S. War Department Authorizes Chemical Warfare Service
The CWS coordinates all aspects of chemical warfare including administration, research, gas defense, gas offensive, development, and medical training. -
End of WWI
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the war ends. The war left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded, with Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Great Britain each losing nearly a million or more lives. In addition, at least five million civilians died from disease, starvation, or exposure.
