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WWI Timeline

  • Creation of the CPI

    Creation of the CPI

    The Committee on Public Information was an independent agency of the government of the United States created to influence public opinion to support US participation in World War 1.
  • Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand

    Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (and his wife, Sophie) were shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.
  • Wilson Urges Neutrality

    Wilson Urges Neutrality

    As World War 1 erupts in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson formally proclaims the neutrality of the United States, a position that a vast majority of Americans favored.
  • Sinking of the Lusitania

    Sinking of the Lusitania

    The sinking of the Lusitania occured in 1915, during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom which had implemented a naval blockade of Germany.
  • Espionage Act

    Espionage Act

    The Espionage Act of 1917 imposed harsh penalties for anyone speaking or acting against the government or the military.
  • Selective Service Act

    Selective Service Act

    The Selective Service Act is a U.S. federal law that instituted conscription, or compulsory military service.
  • America Declares War

    America Declares War

    The U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later, and the United States later declared war on German Ally Austria-Hungary.
  • American Troops Enter Europe

    American Troops Enter Europe

    Once war was declared, the army attempted to mobilize the troops very quickly.
  • Zimmermann Note

    Zimmermann Note

    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.
  • Second Battle of Marne

    Second Battle of Marne

    The Second Battle of Marne marked the turning of the tide in World War 1. It began with the last German offensive of the conflict and was quickly followed by the first allied offensive victory of 1918.
  • German Surrender in Compiegne, France

    German Surrender in Compiegne, France

    The Fuhrer dictated that the surrender be formalized at Compiegne, the very spot where Germans had signed the Armistice ending World War 1.
  • Wilson's 14 Points

    Wilson's 14 Points

    President Woodrow Wilson proposed a 14-point program for world peace. These points were later taken as the basis for peace negotiations at the end of the war.
  • Rejecting of the Treaty of Versailles

    Rejecting of the Treaty of Versailles

    The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles based primarily on objections to the League of Nations. The U.S. would never ratify the treaty or join the League of Nations.
  • Paris Peace Conference

    Paris Peace Conference

    The Paris Peace Conference was called to establish the terms of the peace after World War 1.