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Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, occurred on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo when they were mortally wounded by Gavrilo Princip. -
Wilson Urges Neutrality
U.S. proclaims neutrality in World War I. On this day in 1914, as World War I erupted across Europe, President Woodrow Wilson declared that the United States would remain “impartial in thought as well as in action.”Aug 4, 2009 -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom which had implemented a naval blockade of Germany. The ship was identified and torpedoed by the German U-boat U-20 and sank in 18 minutes. -
Zimmerman Note
A secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the prior event of the United States entering World War I against Germany. -
America declares war
President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. On April 6, Congress granted the request and the United States was formally at war with Germany. -
Creation of the CPI
Wilson created the Committee on Public Information (CPI) to promote the war domestically while publicizing American war aims abroad. Under the leadership of a muckraking journalist named George Creel, the CPI recruited heavily from business, media, academia, and the art world. -
Selective Service Act
Authorized the United States federal government to raise a national army for service in World War I through conscription. -
Espionage Act
A United States federal law passed shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code (War) but is now found under Title 18, Crime. -
Wilson’s 14 Points
The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson. -
Second Battle of Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne, or Battle of Reims was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. -
American Troops Enter Europe
The United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. President Woodrow Wilson appointed Major General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing commander of the AEF in May 1917. By the time the World War I Armistice had suspended all combat on November 11, 1918, the American Expeditionary Forces had evolved into a modern, combat-tested army. Late in the war, American units ultimately fought in two other theaters at the request of the European powers. -
Paris Peace Conference
The Paris Peace Conference, also known as Versailles Peace Conference, was the meeting of the victorious Allied Powers following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers. -
Rejection of the Treaty of Versailles
The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles based primarily on objections to the League of Nations. The U.S. would never ratify the treaty or join the League of Nations. -
German Surrender in Compiegne, France
Adolf Hitler deliberately chose Compiègne Forest as the site to sign the armistice due to its symbolic role as the site of the 1918 Armistice with Germany that signaled the end of World War I with Germany's surrender.
