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Assassination of Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip. When Princip and his friends learned that the archduke was coming to Serbia, they began plotting his assassination. One of Princip’s friends threw a bomb, but it missed and went under the wrong car. When the archduke went to see the wounded men, they took a wrong turn. Princip saw his chance. He stepped out of the crowd, firing two shots toward the archduke, shooting and killing both him and his wife. -
Austria declared war on Serbia
Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914. He was killed by a Serbian citizen, Gavrilo Princip. One month later, Austria declared war on Serbia. -
Germany Declares War on Russia
Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary. Russia mobilized to aid Serbia after Austria declared war. Since Germany and Austria-Hungary were allies, Germany declared war on Russia. They did this to aid Austria-Hungary. -
Germany Invades Belgium
Germany invades Belgium. They use the directions from the Schleiffen Plan. The British foreign secretary, Edward Grey, demanded that Germany leave Belgium at once. If they failed to do so, they would join the war. -
British Declaration of war
When Germany first invaded Belgium, Great Britain threatened to join the war if they were not to leave. However, Germany did not leave. As promised, Great Britain joined the war. -
The Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg began on August 26, 1914 between Germany and Russia. However, the two Russian armies were unable to communicate effectively about their movements, causing them deadly circumstances. In total, over 50,000 Russian soldiers were killed and some 92,000 taken as prisoners. Though the German army won, they suffered many casualties. -
The Lusitania
On May 7th, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the RMS Lusitania, a British ship. Of the more than 1,900 passengers and crew members on board, more than 1,100 died, including more than 120 Americans. To this day, it is still unclear exactly what happened. -
The Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was fought between July 1 and November 1, 1916, near the Somme River in France. It was one of the largest battles in the first world war. It was also one of the bloodiest military battle in history. In the first day alone, the British suffered more than 57,000 casualties, and by the end of the campaign the Allies and Central Powers would lose more than 1.5 million men. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann wrote a letter intended for Heinrich von Eckardt, the German ambassador to Mexico. The telegram was written in a top secret code. On January 16, 1917, British code breakers intercepted the encrypted message. In short, it was a set of instructions: if the neutral United States entered the war on the side of the Allies, Von Eckardt was to approach Mexico’s president with an offer to forge a secret wartime alliance. -
The U.S Joins the war
America was close trading partners with Britain. As the first world war erupted, tension grew between the U.S and Germany. The U.S was part of the Allies. They came to aid their allies. -
The Selective Service Act (The Draft)
Some six weeks after the United States formally entered the First World War, the U.S Congress passes the Selective Service Act on May 18, 1917. This gave the president 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, some 10 million men across the country had registered in response to the military draft. -
Archibald S. Alsop Joins the U.S Army
Archibald S. Alsop was born in Minnesota. He was a soldier in the army and joins the war in 1917. He served 3 years in the U.S. Army, as well as the Yale mobile hospital unit in 1917. -
Archibald S. Alsop writes about his day in camp
Alsop writes to his older sister, Jessie, who took on the maternal role when their mother died. He tells her what it is like in that New York camp. He tells her that they arrived in good spirits. He tells her not to worry, and that everything is looking good. -
Archibald S. Alsop Writes about hope
In a letter home, Alsop writes “We have been filled with hope of an armistice yet have prepared for maximum capacity here (the hospital).....surely the Germans will sign terms soon, every day now that fighting continues, when we know the inevitable result will be in our favor.” -
The End of the War
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ends. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies. The First World 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. -
Alsop writes about the end of the Great War
On November,12 1918 he writes “At last the great war is over. Victory is with the allies; the cost in lives, material and money has been terrible.” A telegram is received by Alsop's aunt advising that he arrived in Boston on 22 January 1919. -
Archibald S. Alsop writes to Jessie
In another Letter to his older sister, Jessie, Alsop compares where he was then to where he was a year prior. He talks about how the guns which were once terrifying roars were now distant sounds.
