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A Bosnian Serb nationalist shot Franz Ferdinand of Austria causing his death. The killing sparked a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I. On June 28 1919, five years after Franz Ferdinand’s death, Germany and the Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Versailles, marking the end of World War I.
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Russia mobilizes the army to fight against Austria-Hungary in favor of Serbia. This starts a chain of reactions which leads to the mobilization of other Great Powers of Europe and the outbreak of hostilities.
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Germans fire shells filled with chlorine gas at Allied lines. This was the first time that such an amount of gas was used in battle. Germans weren't able to take advantage of the breach.
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The Battle of Verdun is considered the greatest and lengthiest in world history. It caused over an estimated 700,000 casualties (dead, wounded and missing). The battlefield was not even a square ten kilometres.
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For the first time ever, the first tanks are used in battle by the British. Although they are useful at breaking through barbed wire and clearing a path for the infantry, tanks are still primitive and they fail to be the decisive weapon, as their designers thought they would be.
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British intelligence gives Wilson the so-called Zimmermann Telegram, a message from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann proposing that Mexico side with Germany in case of war between Germany and the United States. In return, Germany promises to return to Mexico the "lost provinces" of Texas and much of the rest of the American Southwest
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Congress authorizes a declaration of war against Germany. The United States enters World War I on the side of France and Britain.
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He enlisted within a few days of the US's declaration of war. He was sent to Washington D.C. for his basic training. It took them 20 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to St. Nazaire.
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Germans sign a peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government. This gives Germany land which belonged to Ukraine and Poland.
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John C. Laing is authorized to wear two bronze stars on the victory Ribbon for participation in two major operations.
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The Americans attack the Germans at Chateau-Thierry. This battle would morph into the larger Battle of Belleau Wood.
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John C. Laing was injured in action while serving as sergeant, Company D, 6th Engineers.
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He faught in five major battles and was injured at Chateau-Thierry so he missed the Batlle of Verdun because he was still in the hospital. But his unit was there and he was really sorry he wasn't with them.
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The Battle of St. Mihiel begins with 300,000 American troops under the direction of General Pershing flying themselves into the German lines.
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His son describes how his dad rarely ever spoke about his war experiences but his diary shed light on his description of trench life and the constant shelling and leaning over the trench in the morning after a night of non-stop.
