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Archduke Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. Tensions between European powers were reaching a boiling point over their empires. Also military superiority and the struggle for home rule by smaller nations was going on in the Balkans. This led to was a leading factor to the war. -
Russia Mobilizes
Mobilization, in military terminology, is the act of assembling and readying troops and supplies for war. After facing defeat in the Franco Prussian War, Russia did not want to seem vulnerable to the other European countries. Therefore, Russia promised to support France when it found out that Germany had declared war on France. -
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Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg was fought between Russia and Germany between the 26th and 30th of August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov. -
Germans Fire
During the beginning on the first world war, The germans introduced the first poison gas, they used mustard gas which is very deadly once inhaled. This tactic has never been used before in war. Even though the germans had the advantage of the first poison gas they were unable to take advantage. -
Lusitania Sinks
a German U-boat sunk the British luxury liner, the RMS Lusitania. 1,198 people lost their lives, including 128 Americans. Its sinking caused moral outrage both in Britain and in the US and led, ultimately, to the US declaring war against Germany. -
First Tanks
The first use of tanks on the battlefield was the use of British Mark I tanks at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916, some tanks succeeded expectations and other failed, but nearly a third succeeded in breaking through. -
Zimmerman Telegram
It was sent by German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann in 1917. He had sent it to his ambassador in Mexico and the goal was to get Mexico to become an ally of Germany. Mexico and Japan denied any involvement with Germany. The United States declared war soon after. -
U.S. Enters War
Two days after the U.S. Senate voted 82 to 6 to declare war against Germany, the U.S. House of Representatives endorses the declaration by a vote of 373 to 50, and America formally enters World War I on the side of Great Britain and France. -
Selective Service Act
The purpose of the Selective Service Act was to make sure that when the country goes to war, it has enough troops to win. The first Selective Service Act was enacted during the first world war. Its main purpose was to get men registered for the draft, which in turn forced men to go to war to meet troop demands. -
Wilhelm Abdicates
Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates, ending all German hope for a victory. He and his retinue quietly slip over the border into the Netherlands where he lives out the remainder of his life in relative peace and writes a self-promoting memoir defending his actions in the war. -
Battle of Cantigny
The Battle of Cantigny, fought May 28, 1918 was the first major American battle and offensive of World War I. The U.S. 1st Division, the most experienced of the five American divisions then in France and in reserve for the French Army near the village of Cantigny, was selected for the attack. -
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Battle on St. Mihiel
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against German positions. The U.S. Army Air Service (which later became the U.S. Air Force) played a significant role in this action
