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Franz Ferdinand Assasination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria assinated in Sarajevo. Declarations of war begin in the Balkans and spread among European countries. -
Italy
Italy declares itself neutral. -
Blockade
Germany begins to blockade Great Britian. -
Lusitania
German U-boat sinks the ocean liner Lusitania as it sails from New York to Liverpool. Of the 1,195 who died, 123 were Americans. -
Battle of Verdun
Germany launchs the Battle of Verdun. -
Battle of Somme
Allies launch the Battle of Somme -
Re-Elected
President Woodrow Wilson was re-elected on the slogan "He Kept Us Out of War." -
War Declaration
After several provocations, the United States declares war on Germany. -
Selective Service Act
Congress passes the Selective Service Act requiring all male citizens between ages 21 and 31 to register for the draft. -
U.S. Troops
The first U.S. troops land in France. -
Armistice
Russia signs an armistice with Germany, ending fighting on the Eastern Front. -
Fouteen Points
Woodrow Wilson announces his Fourteen Point plan as "a basis of peace." -
Western Front
Allies begin their final offensive on the Western Front. -
Signing of the Armistice
German signs the armistice ending world war. "I knew all was lost...in these nights hatred grew in me, hatred for those responsible for his deed," a young German corporal later writes. His name: Adolph Hitler. -
War Ends
World War 1 official ends
