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Beginning of World War 1
Archiduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophia were shot dead in Sarajevo, by a group of six Bosnian Serbia assassins. The assassins who were still alive were arrested, tried, convicted, and punished. The bombing and murders were controversial because the attacks led the the outbreak of World War 1. -
Wilsom Proclaimed America Nutrual
President Wilson acted as a Peacemaker. Although actions later on forced him to join the war, he always tried to stay on the peaceful side creating the Fourteen Points. -
Lusitania Sinks
German U-Boats came and sunk the luxury ocean liner the Lusitania. There were 1,959 people on board when it was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland, of the 1,959, 1,198 lost their lives. The sinking of the Lusitania took a toll on American citizens. -
Sussex Pledge
The Germans promised that they would not torpedo a ship anymore without giving the ship warning. The Sussex Pledge did not last however; Germany thought they could use unrestricted naval warfare on Britain before America could interfere. -
Zimmermann Note
In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign minister Arhtur Zimmermann. The British waited until February 24 to give it to president Wilson. On April 6, 1917, the United States Congress declared war on Germany and its allies. -
Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act set up the draft. By the end of World War 1 about 2.8 million men had been inducted into the military. In April of 1917, before the act was passed, there were only 110,000 servicemen that could be sent to the war in Europe. -
St. Mihiel Battle
General John Pershing had resisted joining British and French attempts to put American soldiers on the frontline. On August 30, 1918, the first troops were ready to enter the battle. In 36 hours the Americans took over 13,000 prisoners and captured 466 guns. -
The Armistice
In 1918 German commander Erich Lundenorff anounced that is Gemany was to win the war the allies had to be defeated on the Western Front. Although his fighting was initially successful, the allies had their ground and pushed the Germans back. On the 11th of November the leaders of both sides held a meeting in Ferdinand Foch's carriage headquaters, the armistice was signed at 6 A.M.and came into force 5 hours later. -
League of Nations is Formed
The League of Nations came into being after the end of World War One. It could call on the states in dispute to sit down and discuss the problem in an orderly and peaceful manner. Germany was not allowed to join the League in 1919. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Paris Peace conference began on June 28, 1919, with 21 nations in attendence. On June 28, two German representatives signed the treaty. The signing ceremony brought the curtain down on the final act of the Great War.
