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The war begins in 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
The assassination of Austria-Hungary's leader was one of the main causes for the war starting -
Kaiser Wilhelm ll secretly pledged to help Austria-Hungary in the war
Kaiser Wilhelm ll is a German leader who helped out Austria because they were worried about who Russia had alliances with. He gave Austria assurance that Germany would help them in the war. -
World War 1 begins
In late July, Austria declares war on Serbia. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, and Great Britain and Serbia had lined up to fight against Austria-Hungary and Germany -
The first use of chemical warfare
The country to first use chemical warfare was Germany. They attacked France and other troops with chlorine gas. -
The Germans sink the Lusitania killing 128 Americans
During the war, the Germans were sinking ships left and right -
Submarine warfare is suspended.
After another sinking of a passenger ship, Sussex, Woodrow Wilson threatened to break off relations with Germany. -
The US enters the war
The US entered the war, fighting against Germany and the US was on the same side as France and Britain -
John C. Laing enlists into the army
On July 2nd John C. Laing enlisted into the army to help with world war 1. He wanted to help with something during this time of need in the United States, so he thought it would be best to enlist into the army. -
The Allies Break Through
With the allies breaking through, this sets Germany back. Germany were the ones to start the war and with the allies being so strong compared to everyone else they had good odds. -
U.S. War Department authoritizes chemical warfare service.
Even though the Germany was the first country to use the chemical warfare, throughout the war the Allies started to use it more. From 90,000-100,000 people were killed during the war due to chemical warfare -
John C. Laing was given the wounded chevron badge
In early July, as Laing was serving as a sergeant, he was given the wounded chevron to wear. The chevron was to show that -
Laing also receives a purple heart
Laing receives a purple heart as he was serving as a Sergeant in the US Army. A purple heart signifies a solider who was wounded or killed in battle. -
Laing receives bronze stars
Laing receives bronze stars for participating in Somme Defensive somewhere in March-April and then another star in July for Champagne Marne Defensive. After those two he received one more bronze star for participating in Army Ares sometime after July in 1918. The bronze star is awarded to anyone who fought in the war and made any heroic actions. -
John C. Laing is discharged from the Army
Laig is discharged from the army and he became a U.S. citizen after he was discharged. He came back from war and worked as a foreman. The highest rank he was is a Sergeant for the U.S. Army. -
Signing of the treaty of Versailles
In the end, the war ended with the signing of the treaty of Versailles. The Allies had end up winning the war. The treaty of Versailles was one of the most influential treaties that ended the war.
