World War 1 Timeline

The Balkan Wars (Mulligan, n.d.)

Oct 8, 1912

The Balkan Wars were two wars fought in 1912 and 1913 respectively. The First Balkan War had Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro form an alliance known as the Balkan League and fought against the Ottoman Empire on October 8, 1912, and winning. The Second Balkan War started with Bulgaria disagreeing with the terms as they complained they fought the most yet Serbia received most of the rewards, declaring war on the league. In short, Bulgaria was defeated by the league and the Ottoman Empire.

The Biplanes of World War 1 (Eye Witness to History [EWH], 2008)

1914

Biplanes were used in World War 1 as reconnaissance planes due to how they were able to go through the skies and be able to scout out enemies for intel. Later, they were equipped with machine guns in order to combat enemy planes. It would later become known as "dogfights," which is when both sides have biplanes fighting for air dominance.

Artillery during World War 1 (CanadianWarMuseum [CWM], n.d.)

1914

Artillery was probably the most important piece in the first world war. Used both by the Allies and the Central Powers, they were able to rain down heavy bombardment from afar. They were used extensively to injure or kill enemy troops who were unlucky enough to be near it or reduce enemy morale by continuing to barrage the enemy trench. Artillery barrages started to wreak havoc by causing a disorder known as "Shell Shock" or in modern terms, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (Backhouse, 2019)

Jun 28, 1914

The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was an incident that is linked to causing a chain reaction that led to World War 1. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne who traveled to Serbia alongside his wife to Serbia in order to inspect the imperial army. The Black Hand, a secret terrorist organization, was also responsible for providing supplies for the assassins. Although several attempts failed at killing him, Gavrilo Princip succeeded in doing so.

World War 1 Begins ("What happened during World War One?", 2016)

Jul 28, 1914

With the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife because of a Serbian Nationalist, Austria-Hungary got its military to prepare and declared war on Serbia with Germany backing them up. This was followed by the alliances of several other countries. First came the Russians to assist the Serbs, then Germany, and finally France. Britain came later however as they were unsure if they should join. This war became famously known as World War 1 or "The Great War."

Chemicals used in World War 1 (Everts, 2019)

Apr 22, 1915

In modern times, chemicals used in warfare are banned by the Geneva Convention due to how deadly and lethal it is. Not to mention how it can possibly mutate into diseases. In World War 1 however, the Germans used a chemical known as "Mustard Gas" that would appear like a fog heading towards the British trenches. The poor victims who didn't have a gas mask or anything to cover themselves felt intense pain and difficulty in breathing. It was effective but not humanly.

RMS Lusitania Sinks (Rosenberg, 2017)

May 7, 1915

The RMS Lusitania (Royal Mail Ship) was an ocean liner heading to Liverpool, England from New York. It was sunken by a German U-boat, an underwater submarine. Although all passenger ships are told to go in a zig-zag pattern due to the presence of U-boats, the Lusitania was in heavy fog, forcing it to go in a straight line. The sinking of the ship with huge civilian casualties shocked the world while the U.S. was angered that their people had been killed, contributing them to join the war.

Camouflage during World War 1 (Imperial War Museum [IWM], 2018)

1916

With snipers starting to become an increasing problem for both sides, they decided to take unusual tactics that would either reveal a sniper's location or provide support for their own snipers. Although camouflage was used on guns and vehicles most of the time, they were also used to craft other ways of hiding such as fake trees to observe the enemy for reconnaissance or sniping positions.

The Battles during World War 1 (Tran & Henley, 2015)

Period: Jul 1, 1916 to Nov 11, 1918

The Gallipoli Campaign, The Battle of Verdun, The Battle of the Somme, The Battle of Chateau-Thierry, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive were the most significant and important battles during World War 1. For the Gallipoli Campaign, it was a failure for the Allies due to a large number of casualties from the battle and the intense heat. The rest of the battles, however, were a success that would lead the Allies to victory.

Mark 1: The World's First "Tank" (Brosnan, 2018)

Sep 15, 1916

The Mark 1 "Tank" was the World's first-ever real tank on the battlefield. The word "tank" was actually a codename to fool enemy intelligence that the armored vehicles were "water tanks." Although slow and unreliable at first, they were deployed anyways to break the stalemate. 49 Mark 1's were deployed with 25 actually moving forward while the rest broke down due to mechanical issues. They were, however, proven to be effective due to its intimidating armor and guns.

The Zimmermann Note (HistoryExtra, 2019)

Jan 19, 1917

This note, known as the Zimmermann Note, was the last straw for the U.S. to start becoming a full participant in the war. Sent by German Foreign Minister Zimmermann to his ambassador in Mexico, it contained a possible alliance between Germany and Mexico and for Mexico to attack the U.S. In exchange for their cooperation, they would give back the lost territories. The message was intercepted by Britain however, which was then shown to the public. This message strengthened the American's support.

The Russian Revolution (Harris, 2016)

Mar 8, 1917

The Russian Revolution was two separate revolts occurring in Russia. The first was when Czar Nicholas II abdicated from the throne after a huge amount of protests against the monarchy and the Czar Family. They were then captured by the Bolsheviks and executed. The second was when the Bolsheviks began to make reforms of the country, most commonly the quote "Peace, Bread, Land" that would be given to the people. The country also rose to be the world's first Communist country.

The U.S. Enters The War ("Why did America enter World War 1?", 2017)

Apr 6, 1917

After the sinking of the Lusitania that had American civilians on board despite being neutral in the war and the Zimmermann Note that contained a possible alliance between Germany and Mexico, the U.S. and its changed opinion on the war pledged full support in helping America's allies. With that, they came with fresh reinforcements and supplies and the newly formed American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). For the Allies, this was great news. But for Germany, this was the worst thing to happen.

Russia Withdraws From The War (Harris, 2016)

Mar 3, 1918

With the Bolsheviks taking control of the government and assuming full control over the country, they began to reform the country for the people. However, the people were still angry that Russia is still participating in the war. The Bolsheviks were able to negotiate with the Central Powers with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This treaty had Russia give them Finland, Russian Poland, and many other countries in order to gain peace.

The Armistice (Hochschild, 2018)

Nov 11, 1918

The Armistice would be the signal to end the war. The Allies had already negotiated peace terms with the other countries in the Central Powers, Germany being the last. It was signed in a railway carriage that belonged to Ferdinand Foch, a French general and military theorist. The Armistice had been prolonged three times until the Treaty of Versailles was signed.

The Treaty of Versailles Signed (Blakemore, 2019)

Jun 28, 1919

The Treaty of Versailles was the most important treaty that would finally bring an end to the war. In it, several terms were as followed: Germany would have no airforce, only be able to have 100,00 men to defend their country, pay in the damages of the war (which was very costly), and the like that would prevent Germany from making another world war. Despite complaints from the German negotiators, they agreed to it anyway.

The First Meeting of the League of Nations (History.com, 2017)

Jan 16, 1920

With the war finally over and the aftermath of how costly it was, President Woodrow Wilson founded the League of Nations in hopes that countries can unite in order to maintain world peace due to how devastating the war was. (History.com, 2017) states that the first meeting occurred in Paris, France, 6 days after the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Although... that didn't last for long in about 20 years later, where the most catastrophic war would take place.