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Assassination
Archduke Franze Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28th, 1914. This was the final straw that led to the beginning of World War 1. Other factors contributed to this, such as Militarism, Alliances, Imperialisms, and Nationalism. -
World War 1 begins
On this day, most of Europe went to war. At first only seven countries were involved, but at the end of the war there were over 30 countires fighting. The original seven were the Allied powers (Britain, France, and Russia) fighting the centeral powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy). -
Britain joins the war
Since Germany was at war with France, they needed to go on the offensive. The Germans decided to invade France through neutral Belgium, which caused Britain to declare war on Germany. -
Trench Warfare
Trench warfare was warfare behind trenches. Each side would have their own front line trench, where soldiers stood and watched guard over no man's land for enemy soldiers. Behind the front line was a reserve/support trench. Even farther behind that was the communications trench, where messages were relayed. This was also the safest part of the trench. Trench warfare started dominating the Western front around October 29th, 1914. -
Poison Gas
This date was the first day that poison gas had been used on the battlefield. Both sides had experimented with tear gas, but the Germans unleashed a Chlorine gas for the first time on this date. The gas was very lethal and an exposed soldier was likely to die. -
Zimmerman Telegram
Behind the scenes, Germany sent a secret telegram called the "Zimmerman Telegram" to Mexico. The telegram was enticing Mexico to attack the USA. When the American government learned about the telegram, their response was to join into the war. This would not happen for a few months, however. -
USA Declares War
After the outrage from the Zimmerman Telegram, the USA declares war on Germany. This is a major turning point in the war as the Allied powers are refreshed with new troops and weapons. -
Vimy Ridge
The Canadian attack on Vimy Ridge commenced on the morning of April 9th, 1915. Many British and French raids had failed against the ridge, resulting in over 100 000 casualties. 15 000 Canadians stormed the ridge, and by April 12th they had suffered 10 600 casualties but had won the battle. Vimy Ridge was a very important victory for the Allied powers. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the official treaty to end World War 1. The Treaty stated that Germany was to pay for the damages of the war and that Germany was at fault for the entire war. This was not seen as fair by some leaders and especially for Germany, who would seek revenge in later years. -
Rememberance Day
At 11:11 on November 11th, 1919, the fighting stopped. All weapons were dropped and peace came to the battlefield. This was the day when Germany signed the Armstice. The only thing to be done now is to repair the damage done during the war.