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World War 1
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Murder of the Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, was shot and killed. Him and his wife were both killed by a Serbian nationalist in Bosnia. This event is considered to have been a very important cause of World War I. -
Austria declares War
After the assassination of Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary waited to declare war on Serbia. German leader Kaiser Wilhelm announced Germany would support Serbia in war. On July 28, Austria-Hungary officially declared war on Serbia. -
Countries Take Their Sides
On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia. In the following days, Germany also declared war against France and Britain. Germany and Austria-Hungary, along with their allies formed the Central Powers. Meanwhile, Serbia, Russia, France, and Britain formed the Allied powers. -
Battle of Tannenburg
The Battle of Tannenburg is one the first battles of World War 1. On August 26, 1914, the German 8th Army attacked the Russian 2nd Army near the village of Tannenburg in Prussia. The battle lasted three days, and ended in Russian defeat when General Samsonov committed suicide. Over 50,000 Russians were killed, and 92,000 were taken as prisoners. -
Lusitania Sinks
On May 7, 1915 a British ship named the Lusitania was struck without warning by a torpedo shot from a German submarine. 1,198 of the 1,959 passengers and crew members were killed. 128 of the casualties were American. This event angered the United States, and pushed them into eventually joining the war. -
Battle of Verdun
In February of 1916, German forces attacked French soldiers, and claimed Fort Douaumont after a week of fighting. By June, the Germans had advanced and taken over Fort Vaux. However, the Germans called off their offensive in July. In Autumn, the French retook the two forts they had lost. By December, they had advanced back to the original starting point. After 10 months of fighting, making this the longest battle in WW1, the total amount of casualties equaled between 600,000 and 700,000 people. -
America Joins the War
In January of 1917, increased tensions caused the United States to break all diplomatic relations with Germany. Following this, the American ship Housatonic was sunk by a German submarine. In March, four more US ships were sunk by German forces. On April 6th, 1917, America declared war on Germany, thus joining World War I. -
Battle of Belleau Wood
The Battle of Belleau Wood was the first major battle fought by the United States. In May of 1918, German forces pushed to Belleau Woods, which is within 45 miles of Paris, France. American General John J. Peshing led an attack to push the German forces out of the woods. The battle lasted three weeks, and although the U.S. was successful, they suffered close to 10,000 casualties. -
Kaiser Wilhelm Abdication
Due to popular unrest in Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm announced his abdication. Wilhelm had lost the support of his military leaders, and the people of Germany. Additionally, Germany had reached naval mutiny, which also led to Wilhelm losing power. -
The Treaty of Versailles is Signed
World War 1 officially came to an end when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. This treaty ended the war between Germany and the Allied powers. This treaty also created the League of Nations.
