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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
occurred on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo when they were shot dead by Gavrilo Princip. -
Great War begins
The trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. -
Kaiser declares “open season” on ships
Kaiser Wilhelm announces an important step in the development of that policy, proclaiming the North Sea a war zone, in which all merchant ships, including those from neutral countries, were liable to be sunk without warning. -
Lusitania sank
the British ocean liner Lusitania is torpedoed without warning by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland. -
Battle of the Somme
was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire -
Wilson re-elected
The Democrats’ re-election campaign slogan “He Kept Us Out of War” painted Wilson as a peacemaker. President Wilson would lead the United States into World War I after Germany’s aggressive and unrelenting wartime tactics left the him no choice in 1917. -
Zimmerman note intercepted
In the telegram, intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence in January 1917, Zimmermann instructed the ambassador, Count Johann von Bernstorff, to offer significant financial aid to Mexico if it agreed to enter any future U.S-German conflict as a German ally. -
US Declares War on Germany
President Wilson appeared before a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Germany in order to "make the world safe for democracy." On April 4, Congress granted Wilson's request. -
Selective Service Act
authorized the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into World War I through the compulsory enlistment of people. -
Convoy System
driven by the spectacular success of the German U-boat submarines and their attacks on Allied and neutral ships at sea, the British Royal Navy introduces a newly created convoy system, whereby all merchant ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean would travel in groups under the protection of the British navy.\ -
Espionage Act passed
made it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the U.S. armed forces prosecution of the war effort or to promote the success of the country's enemies. -
Russia Pulls Out of War
Lenin wanted to concentrate on building up a communist state and wanted to pull Russia out of the war. -
Flu Epidemic
1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. -
Fourteen Points speech
a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. -
Sedition Act passed
the Sedition Act, passed on July 14, gave Adams tremendous power to define treasonable activity including any false, scandalous and malicious writing. -
Germany signs armistice
Germany, bereft of manpower and supplies and faced with imminent invasion, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiégne, France.
