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The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was one of the key events that led to World War 1. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are killed by an assassin's bullets just hours after they escaped another assassination attempt. Gavrilo Princip is immediately arrested for the shooting and Nedjelko Cabrinovic is caught fleeing after the bomb attempt. -
A month after the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferndinand and his wife Sophie on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. It was determined to take decisive action against Serbia and, by now, knew this risked war with Russia, Serbia's supporter. Austria-Hungary was prepared to risk war because it had the guarantee of German support. Serbia refused to accept Austria's demands because Serbia thought that it would lead to the loss of its sovereignty. -
The Lusitania was a British passenger ship that was owned by the Cunard line. Built for the transatlanic passenger trade, it was luxurious and noted for its speed. The Lusitania was sunk by a German torpedo, the sinking of Lusitania caused international outrage and helped turn public opinion against Germany, especially in the then-neutral United States. -
It was the Emperor's obstinacy that caused Italy to enter the war as an enemy of the Danube Monarchy. When Italy joined sides with the Triple Entente, it was on the understanding that the Allies would seek to provide Italy with substantial territorial gains at the cost of Austria-Hungary. -
The Battle of Somme was a deadly Allied offensive against German. British and French forces launched a frontal attack against an entrenched German army north of the Somme River in France. A weeklong artillery bombardment was followed by a British infantry assault on the still-impregnable German positions. -
The Battle of Verdun was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front of France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north of Verdun-sur-Meuse. The heavy German losses at Verdun combined with even greater casualties suffered on the Somme also created a manpower crisis within the German army that would become increasingly difficult to resolve as the war progressed. -
The telegram included urging Mexico to join Germany in declaring war against the United States. In exchange, Germany committed to assist Mexico in regaining its lost territories of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. Mexico rejected once a military commission determined that there would be no benefit in accepting it. Zimmermann hoped tensions with Mexico would slow shipments of supplies, munitions, and troops to the Allies if the U.S. was tied down on its southern border. -
Germany's resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation behind Wilson's decision to lead the United States into World War I. President Woodrow Wilson signed this joint resolution, ending America's neutral stance on the ongoing global conflict. Germany attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United Stated but, declines. -
The country had to mobilize, and prepare its armed forces for battle. The US Army was small in size, but conscription was soon introduced to expand it. The first US troops arrived in France in June 1917. -
Immediately after their accession to power in Russia in November 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, had approached the Central Powers to arrange an armistice and withdraw from a war they saw as the major obstacle to their plan of providing food and land to the long impoverished Russian peasant population. -
In the speech before Congress on January 8, 1918, Wilson directly addressed what he perceived as the causes for the world war by calling for the abolition of secret treaties, a reduction in armaments, an adjustment in colonial claims in the interests of both native peoples and colonists, and freedom of the seas. -
A small battle by World War 1 standards, the Battle of Cantigny was the first division United States army operating under the X French corps capturned the town of cantigny on May 28, 1918and held it against numerous counterattacks. It helped wrest the initiative from the German Ludendorff Offensive and bolstered the morale of America's European allies at a critical moment. -
After more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the western front finally tipped the scale in the Allies' favor. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies on November 11, 1918. World War I was known as the “war to end all wars” because of the great destruction it caused. -
The Paris Peace Conference convened in January 1919 at Versailles just outside Paris. The conference was called to establish the terms of the peace after World War I. The major decisions were the establishment of the League of Nations; the five peace treaties with defeated enemies; the awarding of German and Ottoman overseas possessions as "mandates", chiefly to members of the British Empire and to France; reparations imposed on Germany; and the drawing of new national boundaries. -
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany and the Allied Nations on June 28, 1919. Formally ending World War One. The terms of the treaty required that Germany pay financial reparations, disarm, lose territory, and give up all of its overseas colonies.