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War between multiple nations
Germany declares war on Russia, France and Belgium.
Britain declares war on Germany.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.
France and Britain declare war on Austria-Hungary.
Japan declares war on Germany.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Belgium. The United States declares its neutrality. -
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The War Begins
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Troops on the Gallipoli peninsula
British and French troops, including Australians and New Zealanders (ANZAC) land on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire. -
Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek are assassinated
Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie Chotek, are assassinated by Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip. Austria suspects Serbia is responsible. -
War in Serbia
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. -
The Schlieffen Plan fails
Germany invades Belgium, but is stopped at the First Battle of the Marne. The Schlieffen Plan fails. -
First Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres: Attempting to outflank each other, Allied and German troops were unable to win a decisive victory, leading to the onset of trench warfare. -
War on the Ottoman Empire
Britain and France declare war on the Ottoman Empire. -
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The War Continues
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German zeppelin raids on Great Britain begin
German zeppelin raids on Great Britain begin, bringing the war home to British civilians. -
Germany initiates a policy
Germany initiates a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, whereby all merchant ships, including those of neutral countries, would be subject to attack. -
Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres: Germans launch the first successful gas attack in history. By the end of the war, both Allied and Central Powers will have used chemical weapons. It ends on May 25, 1915 -
128 Americans are killed
German U-boat torpedoes the Lusitania, a British passenger liner. 128 Americans are killed. -
Italy declares war
Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering World War I on the side of the Allies. -
Allied troops move through Mesopotamia
Allied troops move through Mesopotamia to capture Baghdad from the Ottomans. -
A combined force of Austro-Hungarians and Germans invade Serbia.
A combined force of Austro-Hungarians and Germans (and later Bulgarians) invade Serbia. After weeks of stubborn fighting, the Serbian Army was forced to retreat through Montenegro and Albania. -
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The War Continues
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Battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun: Hoping to “bleed France white,” the German Army launches a major offensive against the symbolic fortress of Verdun. Fighting will not end until December. -
Women and girls deported to perform agricultural work
Around 20,000 French women and girls are deported from industrial cities like Lille to perform forced agricultural work in other parts of occupied France. -
Great Britain and France secretly sign the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
Great Britain and France secretly sign the Sykes-Picot Agreement. Assuming they will defeat the Ottoman Empire, they divide the Middle East. France claims Syria and Lebanon. Britain claims Jordan, Iraq, the Gulf states and the Palestine Mandate. -
Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland: In the largest naval battle of the war, Britain’s Royal Navy Grand Fleet and the German Navy’s High Seas Fleet fought to a draw, though both sides claimed victory. -
Great Arab Rising
Arab nationalists revolt against Ottoman rule in the “Great Arab Rising.” -
Battle of the Somme
Battle of the Somme: After a seven-day artillery bombardment, Allied troops launch an offensive meant to divert German troops from Verdun. The British suffered around 50,000 casualties on the first day and fighting continued until November. -
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The War Continues
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The U.S. severs diplomatic relations with Germany
After Germany resumes its campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, the U.S. severs diplomatic relations with Germany. -
British intelligence intercepts the Zimmermann Telegram
British intelligence intercepts the Zimmermann Telegram, a secret communication from Germany proposing an alliance with Mexico should the United States enter World War I. -
Germany sinks the SS Aztec
Germany sinks the SS Aztec, a U.S. cargo ship bound for France. -
“The world must be made safe for democracy.”
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson delivers a war message to Congress, famously stating that “the world must be made safe for democracy.” -
The United States is officially at war with the German Empire.
Following passage of the war resolution by the Senate and House, the United States is officially at war with the German Empire. -
Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd
Having traveled on a sealed train from Switzerland, Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd (St. Petersburg) after a decade of exile to personally lead the Russian Revolution. -
The first military draft since the Civil War
The U.S. Congress authorizes the Selective Service Act, initiating the first military draft since the Civil War. -
Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces
General John J. Pershing selected as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. -
The Espionage Act
Congress passes the Espionage Act, making it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the prosecution of the war effort or to promote the success of the country’s enemies. -
Third Battle of Ypres
Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele): Allied troops, largely those from the British Empire, launch an attack to seize key ridges near Ypres. They achieve victory, but only after months of fighting in horrific conditions and sustaining heavy casualties. -
Britain issues the Balfour Declaration
Britain issues the Balfour Declaration, a statement of support for the establishment of a Jewish nation in Palestine. -
Soviet Russian state
Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks assume complete control over the new Soviet Russian state. -
French munitions ship collides with a Belgian relief ship
French munitions ship collides with a Belgian relief ship resulting in 11,000 casualties. -
Capture of Jerusalem
The British capture Jerusalem from the Ottomans. -
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The War Continues
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Peace
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson outlines his Fourteen Points for peace. -
Russia out of WW1
Russia and Germany sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, officially removing Russia from World War I. -
Kansas makes the first report of influenza
Camp Funston at Fort Riley, Kansas makes the first report of influenza. The disease spreads overseas to the Western Front. Over the next year this “Spanish Influenza" kills 20 million worldwide. -
Battle of Cantigny
Battle of Cantigny: In its first major battle of World War I, American troops captured the town of Cantigny, depriving the Germans of an important observation point. -
Execution of the Romanov family
Bolsheviks murder the former czar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family. -
Black Day of the German Army
Aisne-Marne Offensive: Marks a major turning point in the fighting on the Western Front. Two days after its conclusion, the British attack at Amiens is called the “Black Day of the German Army.” -
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
Battle of Saint-Mihiel: First major offensive operation by General John J. Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces. It ended 3 days later. -
The largest offensive in U.S. history
Meuse-Argonne Offensive: After a short artillery bombardment, American and French troops advance toward German positions in the Argonne Forest and along the Meuse River. The largest offensive in U.S. history, it played a major role in bringing about an end to the war. -
Battle of Vittorio Veneto
Battle of Vittorio Veneto: Austro-Hungarian forces are severely defeated by the Italian Army, ending the war on the Italian Front and ushering in the final dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. -
German Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates and flees to Holland
German Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates and flees to Holland. German Republic (later the Weimar Republic) proclaimed. -
Germany signs the armistice
Having been given 72 hours to agree to Allied demands, Germany signs the armistice. Supreme Allied Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch orders that all hostilities on the Western Front cease at 11 a.m. Paris time. -
Troops move into Germany
Allied troops move into Germany and begin occupation. -
Independence of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia, a kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is proclaimed an independent state. -
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The War Ends
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Promote international cooperation
At the Paris Peace Conference, Allied nations propose constitution for the League of Nations to promote international cooperation. -
Germany signs the Treaty of Versailles
Germany is forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Germany cedes Alsace-Lorraine to France, recognizes Belgian sovereignty, disarms and agrees to pay war reparations. U.S. Senate refuses to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, thus preventing the country from joining the League of Nations. -
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The War Officially Ends
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Ending of the War
The Treaty of Sevres officially ends the war between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire and marks the beginning of the latter’s partitioning. Only the territory that becomes Turkey is independent of British and French control.