-
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
While touring Sarajevo the heir to the Austrian empire, Franz Ferdinand, is killed by Gavrilo Princip. Princip is part of the terrorist organization known as Young Bosnia, and his assassination is protest of the annexation of Bosnia by Austria. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The British ship RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U-Boat. Over 1,000 people are killed in the wreckage, many of them Americans. The sinking of this boat turns American public opinion in favor of Intervention in Europe and eventually leads to our entrance into WWI. -
Battle Of Verdun
The largest and most deadly battle of WWI. German and French soldiers fight along the western front for over eight months. Over 700,000 casualties are reported over the span of the battle, and the inhumane conditions of the fighting led to the notoriety the battle carries today. -
Nicholas II Abdicates the Throne
Czar Nicholas II abdicates the throne in March . Temporarily the government is democratic and led by the Duma. However, Russians are not familiar with the concept of democracy and look toward a strong leader to head the country. Nicholas and his family are taken into custody and eventually executed in 1918 by the Bolsheviks. -
Lenin Seizes Power
Following a short stint as a democracy, Russia falls back under a single party system. Vladimir Lenin, with widespread public support installs a communist dictatorship after the October Revolution. -
Russia Exits WW1
Soviet Russia, faced with massive casualties and food shortages at home exits WWI. This withdrawal temporarily turns the tide of the war towards Germany. -
End of the War/Treaty of Versailles
America accepts the terms of Germany's surrender. Although the armistice is accepted, it takes over six months to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty punishes Germany heavily for their actions during the war and is a major factor in the start of WWII. -
Black Tuesday Market Crash
A massive stock market crash cripples Wall Street. Stock prices had been in decline since October 18th, and the massive panic that it caused led to the trade of over 16,000,000 stocks in a single day leading to the loss of over 1 billion dollars. This leads to the beginning of the Great Depression which lasts through the 1930s. -
Hitler Declared Chancellor
Adolph Hitler and the National German Socialist or "Nazi" party gain traction as a legitimate political party in Germany. Several months later, the Reichstag burns and the Nazi party takes official control. The Nazi party slowly develops into the most famous and brutal dictatorship in history. -
Truman Elected
Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected and begins to reform Americas economy. The unemployment rate drops 11 percent while he is in office, and is reelected for two more terms. He is widely regarded as one of the most popular presidents ever. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese Air Force attacks a U.S airbase in Hawaii. Over 1,000 servicemen are killed and over 2,000 injured. This event changes public opinion of the WWII and the U.S declares itself at war with Japan the following day. -
D-Day Invasion
Allied troops storm the beaches of Normandy in order to free the French from Nazi occupation. Amphibious landings made allied progress slow, and the Nazi defenses slaughtered thousands of infantrymen. However, the U.S eventually achieved their original goal of retaking France, and the Nazi loss turns the tide of the war towards the allies. -
Liberation of Aushwitz
Russian soldiers free the remaining prisoners in the most notorious Nazi concentration camp. Over 1.1 million prisoners have been killed at the camp up to this point, and over 60,000 were killed in a death march only a week before soviet liberation. However, theism action garners little attention from the press. -
End Of WWII in Europe
A week after Hitler's suicide, Britain accepts the terms of Germany's surrender. Churchill declares it VE Day or "victory day" in England. This effectively ends all fighting in Europe with an allied victory. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
The United States sends the Enola Gay to bomb the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The nuclear explosions kill over 200,000 civilians over the next months and the effects of radiation kill even more. These actions force the Japanese to surrender, but the moral justification for our actions is still debated. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
American reconnaissance finds Russian missiles in Cuba. The world verges on nuclear was as Kennedy and Krushchev negotiate. Crisis is averted, and missiles are removed by Americans from Turkey and the Russians from Cuba. -
Vietnam War
The first American Combat troops set foot in Vietnam. After reports that U.S ships were being targeted by North Vietnamese militants. President Johnson calls for American action in Vietnam. Involvement in one of the most unpopular wars of all time begins. -
Moon Landing
After years of the Russian American space race, the Americans emerge victorious. Apollo eleven lands two men, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. This fulfills Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon before the end of his presidency. -
Destruction of Berlin Wall
After a series of liberal policies are implemented in East Germany, the soviet backed governments weaken. Finally, East German officials announce after weeks of civil unrest in 1989 that travel between east and West Berlin is permitted. Destruction of the wall however, does not officially begin until the next year. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union is officially disbanded. Mikhail Gorbachev resigns from his position of leadership and hands control of the office over to Russian president Boris Yeltsin. After slowly allowing democracy into their satellite epublics, Russia finally falls victim to the protests of their people.
