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Francis Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. While on a routine visit to Sarajevo, Francis and his wife were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb.
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One month after the assassination of Francis Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This happened after Serbia did not agree to the demands of an ultimatum sent by Serbia demanding their full cooperation in an investigation of the assassination.
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Russia mobilizes its army to intervene against Austria-Hungary in favor of its ally, Serbia. This move starts a chain reaction that leads to the mobilization of the rest of the European Great Powers, and inevitably to the outbreak of hostilities.
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Germany invaded Belgium which started the war.
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Woodrow Wilson declares that the U.S will remain neutral in the war.
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Poison gas is used for the first time in the war as Germans on the Eastern Front attack Russian positions west of Warsaw. Although the Germans fire 18,000 gas shells, they have little effect on the Russians as frigid temperatures prevent the gas from vaporizing
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A German U-boat sank the British passenger line Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. President Wilson was stunned, but still wanted peace.
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The Germans promise that they will not sink any more unarmed ships without warning.
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The British employ the first tanks ever used in battle, at Delville Wood. Although they are useful at breaking through barbed wire and clearing a path for the infantry, they fail to be the decisive weapon that their designers thought they would be.
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The Germans broke their promise not to sink any unarmed vessels without warning when they sunk the Sussex.
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The United States intercepted a telegram sent from Germany's foreign secretary,Arthur Zimmermann, to Mexico. The note tried to convince Mexico to join the war against the US by promising to get them back the land they lost during the Spanish-American war.
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President Woodrow Wislon addressed the Senate with a speech called "Peace Without Victory". Basically what he was saying was that for our Allies to gain victory, we must join the war.
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On February 1st, the Germany decided to resume unrestricted submarine warfare.
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On March 8, a revolution in Russia overthrew Czar Nicholas II, but Russia still remained in the war. The revolution was led by rebels called Bolsheviks.
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President Wilson asked congress for a declaration of war on Germany in reply to German Aggression.
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In reply to the sinking of unarmed ships, the interception of the Zimmerman note, the rise of Germany, and many other things, the United States declared war on Germany and officially became part of the war.
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Congress passes the Selective Service Act authorizing the draft. Although criticized for destroying democracy at home while fighting for it abroad, President Wilson claims he sees no other option and signs the bill into law.
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Woodrow Wilson announces his fourteen points to the U.S.
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The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was the treaty that ended war between Russia and Germany. Germany was obviouslt still involved in the war after this, but Russia was not.
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The Battle of Cantigny is the first major American offensive of the war. Though small in scale, they soon go on to larger attacks against Germany.
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Along with many other Russian officials, Czar Nicholas II was executed by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
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Alvin York and 16 others got trapped behind enemy lines on October 8th. Many of them dogded their bullets and returned fire. York even charged at people with a pistol. He and the survivors ended up escaping and he eventually became one of the most decorated soldiers in World War 1.
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Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates, ending all German hope for a victory. He and his retinue quietly slip over the border into the Netherlands where he lives out the remainder of his life in relative peace and writes a self-promoting memoir defending his actions in the war
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On November 11, also known as Armistice Day, the Germans surrendered to the Allies in Compiegne, France.
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This was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended war between Germany and the Allies. It was signed exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinard.
