World War I

WWI Timeline

Period: Jan 10, 1912 to Jan 10, 1920

Woodrow Wilson is elected President

Mar 4, 1913

Archduke Franz Ferdinand heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo.

Jun 28, 1914

Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

Jul 28, 1914

As an ally of Serbia, Russia announces full mobilization of her armed forces.

Jul 31, 1914

Germany mobilizes her armed forces and declares war on Russia.

Aug 1, 1914

Germany declares war on France.

Aug 3, 1914

Germany declares war on neutral Belgium and invades in a right flanking move designed to defeat France quickly. As a result of this invasion, Britain declares war on Germany.

Aug 4, 1914

Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.

Aug 6, 1914

Wilson declares U.S. neutrality in war in Europe

Aug 19, 1914

German army, led by Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg achieves its greatest victory of the war on the Eastern front against Russia at the Battle of Tennenberg.

Aug 26, 1914

Agust 26-30

Unofficial Christmas Truce declared by soldiers in the trenches along the Western Front.

Dec 25, 1914

War becomes "Total War" with German Zeppelin air raid on England

Jan 1, 1915

Tsar Nicholas takes command of the Russian armies.

Sep 5, 1915

British use gas in battle near Loos, but shifting winds cause 60,000 British casualties.

Sep 15, 1915

Sir Douglas Haig becomes commander of British Expeditionary Force.

Dec 19, 1915

The longest battle of the war, the Battle of Verdun, is fought to a draw with an estimated one million casualties.

Feb 21, 1916

February 21 - December 18

US President Wilson publicly warns Germany not to continue unrestricted submarine warfare policies

Apr 19, 1916

The Battle of the Somme results in an estimated one million casualties and no breakthrough for the Allies. British introduce the tank, an effective weapon but far to few to make much of a difference.

Jul 1, 1916

July 1-November 18

Rasputin, the self-avowed holy man and confidant to the Tsarina, is murdered by relatives of the Tsar.

Dec 31, 1916

United States delares war on Germany

Jan 10, 1917

New York sends 367, 864 soilders to the war, making up to almost 10% of all American military personnel.

Jan 10, 1917

1917-1918

Reich Foreign Secretary Zimmermann's telegram to Mexico urging her entry into war against the United States is discovered and translated by the British.

Jan 19, 1917

The U.S. delcares war on Germany

Apr 2, 1917

During World War I, German ships in New York Harbor are seized. A steel net is strung across Verrazano Narrows to stop German U-boats

Apr 6, 1917

President Wilson asks Congress for a declaration of war with Imperial Germany.

Apr 6, 1917

French launch disastrous offensive at Chemin des Dames, advancing only 500 yards at the cost of 250,000 plus casualties.

Apr 16, 1917

April 16-29

The United States passes the Selective Service Act empowering the Federal Government to draft men for the armed forces.

May 18, 1917

President Woodrow Wilson declares his 14 points as the path to permanent world peace.

Jan 8, 1918

New York sent 367,864 soilders to the war, making up almost 10% of all American military personnel

Jan 10, 1918

The 369th Infantry Regiment, made up of African American New Yorkers, recives France's highest medal for bravery. Influenza affects 500,000 New Yorkers, with 45,000 cases resulting in death.

Jan 10, 1918

President Woodrow Wilson declares his 14 points as the path to permanent world peace.

Mar 21, 1918

President Wilson agrees to co-operate with Allies in sending "volunteer" troops into Russia.

Aug 3, 1918

Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates.

Nov 9, 1918

Armistice ends World War I

Nov 11, 1918

At eleven o'clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the war ends as Germany and Allies sign an Armistice.

Nov 11, 1918

Woodrow Wilson sets sail for the Paris Peace conference.

Dec 4, 1918

U.S. Senate rejects the Treaty of Versailles.

Jan 10, 1919