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Austria-Hungary decleares war on Serbia
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Germany declares war on Russia
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Germany declares war on France
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United Kingdom declares war on Germany
United Kingdom declares war on Germany after Germany invade Belgium -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany.
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U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces the U.S. will remain neutral.
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The Battle of Tannenberg begins.
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the first battle of Marne begins. Trench warfare begins as soldiers on both sides dig in.
From September 6-12, 1914, just one month into World War I, the First Battle of the Marne took place just 30 miles northeast of Paris in the Marne River Valley of France. -
Battle of Ypres begins.
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The United Kingdom announces that the North Sea is a military area, effectively creating a blockade of goods into Germany.
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The unofficial Christmas truce
Though World War I had been raging for only four months, it was already proving to be one of the bloodiest wars in history. Soldiers on both sides were trapped in trenches, exposed to the cold and wet winter weather, covered in mud, and extremely careful of sniper shots. Machines guns had proven their worth in war, bringing new meaning to the word "slaughter." -
Germany declares a "war zone" around Great Britain, essentially effecting a submarine blockade where even neutral merchant vessels were to be potential targets.
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The Dardanelles Campaign begins
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The Second Battle of Ypres begins. It is during this battle that the Germans first use poison gas
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The Battle of Gallipoli begins
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The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by German U-boat, U-20
On May 7, 1915, the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, which primarily ferried people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain, was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk. Of the 1,959 people on board, 1,198 died, including 128 Americans. The sinking of the Lusitania enraged Americans and hastened the United States' entrance into World War I. -
Tsar Nicholas II takes personal control over Russia's armies
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The Battle of Verdun begins. The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of World War I and was one of the bloodiest.
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The Battle of Jutland, the major naval battle of the war, begins.
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The Battle of the Somme begins. During the Battle of the Somme, tanks are first introduced into battle.
The Battle of the Somme was fought during World War I (1914-1918). -
Germany sends the secret Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico in an effort to entice Mexico to join the war. The British intercept and decipher the coded message.
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Russian Tsar Nicholas II abdicates
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The United States declares war on Germany
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The Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres) begins.
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The Bolsheviks successfully overthrow the Russian government during the 1917 Russian Revolution.
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The armistice agreed upon between the new Russian government and the Central Powers goes into effect
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U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issues his Fourteen Points to peace.
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Russia signs the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, which is a peace treaty between Russia and the Central Powers
Definition: Refers mainly to the alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and others in World War One, but can refer to the 'Triple Alliance' of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in 1882. The name derives from the nations' geographic position: down the centre of Europe. Examples: In 1917 the United States declared it would enter the war against the Central Powers. -
German flying ace, Baron Manfred von Richthofen (more commonly known as the Red Baron), is shot down.
