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Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot to death alongside his wife by a Serbian nationalist. They were shot by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This is considered to be the cause of World War 1. -
The Christmas Truce
On December 7th, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary ceasefire in favor of the holidays. The warring countries refused, but word had spread to the soldiers, who agreed with the Pope's suggestion. Many soldiers along the Western Front sang carols together, exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum pudding, and even played a friendly game of soccer. -
British Ship "Lusitania" Sinks
The British passenger ship, Lusitania, was sunk by a German submarine. 1,191 passengers were killed, 128 of which were American. This incident pushed the U.S. closer to joining the war. -
Youngest Soldier Joins WWI
5 months after his 12th birthday, Sidney Lewis ran away from his home to join the army. Lewis made his way in, and was fighting on the Somme by age 13. However, his mother sent the army his birth certificate, and Lewis was ordered home within weeks. -
Successful Plastic Surgery
A majority of the injuries sustained during WWI included shrapnel mutilating many soldiers' faces. The British Army tasked a doctor, Harold Gillies, with solving this. Gillies immediatly requested a plastic surgery unit to be set up, and had many successful cases, the best of which being when he created a new nose for a man. -
Dazzle Camouflage is Created
Artist and illustrator Norman Wilkinson became aware of the threat that was German U-boats. He realized that instead of trying to conceal their ships from them, they should try to confuse them. He created a camouflage scheme that used bold shapes and sharp contrasts of color in order to achieve this. -
U.S. Enters WWI
U.S. joined the Allies, which consisted of Britain, France, and Russia. The U.S. was under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, and more than two million American soldiers fought in France. However, many Americans were upset about entering the war. -
Stubby the Dog
Stubby the dog first enters historical records in July 1917 as an ownerless stray. Stubby appeared at Camp Yale training grounds one day, and came to befriend 25 year old J. Robert Conroy. When Conroy was deported, he snuck Stubby onto the ship with him, but was eventually found out. However, Stubby charmed his way into the entire crews' hearts, and got to stay aboard. -
John J. Brennan Joins Army
On July 23, 1917, John Joseph Brennan decided to join the army with his friend Henry Willard. They "started thinking about it at supper time and continued until bedtime". They woke up in the morning still thinking about it, and decided to enlist that day. -
Brennan Leaves Family
After a month of training, which mainly consisted of long walks, John Joseph Brennan left his hometown. It was a Sunday morning, and he went to Mass and received Holy Communion. He then went to say goodbye to his sister, Mary, and his sick mother. The town had a farewell parade in the afternoon, and he left for the train station at 9:30 that night. -
"Porter Night"
Brennan's train was stopped somewhere around North Carolina, when a couple of men in his troop decided to steal a pig. Someone had suggested killing it, so a few of them decided to butcher it in one of the train cars. Brennan said that they all decided to prank the colored porter in charge of their car by turning out the lights and covering him in the pig's blood. -
Christmas Dinner
John's troop celebrated Christmas with a big dinner, paid for by the Ladies' Auxiliary of their company. Everyone on their train came and had a large party. They even hired an orchestra to come up and entertain them. -
Germany Surrenders
Germany was losing the war because they had lost many of their allies, along with many soldiers due to several flawed military plans. So, they formally surrendered to the Allies. All of the nations involved in the war agreed to stop fighting while terms of peace were negotiated. -
Welcome Home Parade
John's 17th division marched in a welcome home parade. They left the armory at 9:00 am, then took a sub to the start of the parade. They marched for a long time, only getting a few 5 minute rests. John got to see his family again, but felt sorry for many other families, saying "What a sad parade this is for those whose loved ones are back on the battlefield". -
WWI Ends
World War 1 officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty was negotiated among the Allies, with little input on Germany's part. It assigned liability for repirations on Germany, which they initially agreed to pay. However, this eventually only angered the country more, leading to the start of WWII.
