-
Start of the War
In June 1914,Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited Sarajevo with his wife. While they were riding in the open car, Gavrillo Princip shot them to death. He was a part of a nationalist group called "Black Hand", who hoped the assassination would start a war and bring down the Austro-Hungarian Empire. -
New Technology
In april of 1915, Germans were the first to use poison gas. In late 1915, British developed the armored tank. They were slow and unreliable, but could cross trenches. WWI was also the first war to use aircraft. Airplanes were first used to spy on the enemies, but they were soon equipped with machine guns. -
Germany Sinks Lusitainia
A German submarine sank the Lusitainia, killing nearly 1200 people, 128 of them Americans. The act helped British propaganda, and showed that Germany was acting uncivilized. The attack changed American attitudes and encouraged America to prepare for war. -
Blood Banks
The British Army started to perform blood transfusions on wounded soldiers. The blood was transferred directly from one person to another. Oswald Robertson started doing this in 1917. -
America Enters the War
On April 4, 1917, there was a debate, and the Senate passed the resolution. Most everyone agreed that America should intervene, except a few. Wilson signed the resolution, and America was at war. -
The Beginning of Buckles
Frank Buckles enlisted in the US regular Army in August of 1917. He trained in Fort Riley, KS in December of the same year. After training, him and others traveled on the Carpathia, the vessel that saved the survivors of the Titanic, to Europe. -
Celebrating the Front
In January, Buckles went to a local wine shop in the evening. A few French soldiers were there singing and drinking wine. When Buckles asked why, they said because they were going back to the front! -
Finacial Meltdown in Britain
In the beginning of the 1900s, Britain was an economic superpower. WWI was more costly than any other before it, and it greatly affected Britain. For example, the cost of bullets fired in 1 day in September of 1918 was nearly four million pounds. -
Witnessing the Philippine Bombings
On December 18th, Buckles was in the Phillipines. While he was there, the Japanese were bombing various things, such as the piers. He witnessed all of the bombs from the start. -
The Red Scare
Strikes in 1919 caused peopleto fear that the "reds" (communists) would take over. In April, the postal service found more than 30 bombs that were supposed to go to important Americans. During May 1919, a parade gone wrong turned into many riots and 2 people died and 40 were injured, In June, 8 bombs in different cities exploded within minutes of each other. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the many peace treaties at the end of WWI. It ended the war between Germany and the Allies. It was signed 5 years after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. -
Chicago Race Riots
In July of 1919, African Americans want to a white only beach. Each race then began throwing stones at each other. They were attacking each other for nearly 2 weeks and they had to send in the National Guard. 38 people were killed and over 500 injured. -
Special Orders for Buckles
Buckles was granted leave of absence to Gironde, France. Communication of rations were paid, and travel was paid. He was granted leave on September 10th. -
The Palmer Raids
On November 17th, 1919, Palmer ordered his officers to raid the Union of Russian Workers. Palmer believed that foreign-born people were the cause of the bombings and strikes. He ordered lots of raids after that, and nearly 600 people were deported and thousands detained because of him. -
Background/Honorable Discharge of Buckles
Buckles was born in Bethany, Missouri. He was 18 when he enlisted, and his occupation was a clerk. He was honorably discharged on November 13th, 1919.
