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Davis Act
The Davis Act of 1908 inaugurated the rise of the modern National Guard. -
Marines prevent shipment of German arms
President Woodrow Wilson sent Marines to accompany a naval escort to Veracruz on the coast of Mexico. The Marines prevented the shipment of German arms to Victor Huerta. -
Assassination of Austrian-Hungarian archduke and his wife
Serbian Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the Grand Duchess Sophie. This sparked World War One in Europe. -
Austria Declares War
Austria declared war on Serbia for the assassination of their archduke after securing German aid. Russia moved its forces on Austria to protect Serbia. Germany then declared war on Russia to protect Austria. -
Britain Declares War
Great Britain declared war on Germany after they failed to respect Belgium's neutrality. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
Germany's attack and sinking of the Lusitania led to American cries for war. -
Rebirth of the KKK
The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group that claimed to protect white families from black, feminist, and other radical cultures, was reborn from two main events: the lynching of Leo Frank and the release of "The Birth of a Nation", a film that portrayed the Reconstruction Era Klan as a a valiant protective effort. Colonel William Joseph Simmons organized the "second" KKK. -
Naval Act
The Naval Act of 1916 was inspired from the threat of WW1 in Europe. Its intent was to build up the navy in order to prepare for a war. -
National Defense Act
The National Defense Act of 1916 did basically the same thing as the Davis Act of 1908 -
Espionage Act
President Wilson signed the Espionage Act to strip dissenters of their right to publicly protest the war. -
Russia Exits the War
In mid-1917, the Germans launched a heavy attack that dissolved the Russian army. In November, Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik party rose to power and the Russians caved to Germany, exiting the war. -
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution sparked American fears of communism, leading to an American Red Scare. -
America Declares War
Congress declared war on Germany after the Zimmerman Telegram attempted to turn Mexico against America and Germany sank the Lusitania. -
Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act was approved as a way to fill military ranks- healthy men from ages 21-30 were drafted into the armed forces. The act was thankfully met with little resistance. -
Women join the ranks
The first groups of women joined the Marine Corps as nurses and other employees. Women across America began flooding into the war effort, taking on supporting roles. -
Sedition Act
President Wilson signed the Sedition Act for the same reasons as the Espionage Act- to prevent public protest against the war effort and reduce dissent. -
Kaiserschlacht
A series of 5 German attacks on the Western Front that failed each time. -
Influenza Pandemic
A strain of the flu virus hit Camp Funston, a large military training camp. The second wave of the mutated virus was even worse. Europe was also hit hard by the Spanish Influenza, killing more soldiers than combat ever did. No cure was found. The virus did not dissolve until the early 1920s. -
Treaty of Versailles
The German, Russian, Austrian-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires began to dissolve, allowing European countries to withdraw into independency. The Treaty of Versailles eventually ended the war. -
Fourteen Points
President Wilson offered the Fourteen Points as a way to achieve worldwide peace. The Points revolved around the League of Nations, which was intended to keep said peace across the world. America never joined the League. -
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Influenza Casualties
Nearly seven hundred thousand Americans died from the flu mutation. -
Germany withdraws from France
German forces withdrew from France and Belgium. -
Red Summer
The Red Summer of 1919 originated from wartime racial tensions in over 25 cities across America. Riots spread, one of the most notable being the Chicago Riot that lasted from July 27 to August 3. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment was fought for by women activists to allow women to vote. -
Eighteenth Amendment
The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited alcohol from being manufactured or sold. -
Homelife Radios
Entertainment radios did not become available for home life until around 1920.