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(EU) Funeral of King Edward VII of England
Nine reigning monarchs of the European states came to attend the funeral of King Edward VII. The funeral of King Edward VII was the most splendid ceremonial in history; many reigning monarchs had never been gathered before for a ceremonial. -
(US) President Woodrow Wilson Inaugurated
President Woodrow Wilson, who would serve as commander in chief during World War I, officially becomes President for the first of two terms. -
(EU) Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand Shot in Sarajevo
On this day, the Arch Duke of Austria-Hungary was shot by Gavrilo Princip. This event is often considered the spark for World War I, which would grow because of entangling alliances. -
(EU) Germany attacks/declares war on France
On the afternoon of August 03, 1918, Germany declares war with a plan for a two-front war against France and Russia. -
(EU) Britain declares war on Germany
Britain and Belgium had a treaty to support and help each other if they were attacked during the war. During the war, in 1914, Germany attacked France by going through Belgium which caused destruction and havoc. Britain warned Germany to retreat; they did not, and because of that, Britain declared war on Germany. In the MANIA acronym, this can be the "Alliances" part as to why countries got involved in wars. -
(EU) Christmas Truce of 1914
Considering the pain and suffering of the war, there was still joy in the trenches of Flanders and France. On Christmas during the war, men from both sides on the Western Front put down their guns and shared food, games, and had comradeship. -
(US) Sinking of the Lusitania
Less than a year has passed before WWI, a German boat torpedoed the Lusitania which caused it to sink. The reason for this, the Lusitania was carrying about 173 tons of war equipment for Britain, which caused Germany to believe the Lusitania came to attack them. Although the U.S. got into the war 2 years later, this event caused many Americans to have an opinion against Germany. -
(US) US chases Pancho Villa
Francisco Pancho Villa crosses the U.S.-Mexican border and attacked Columbus, New Mexico. Even before this attack which led much attention, Pancho Villa was already known for his exploits during the Mexican Revolution. Although the U.S. sent their best army and soldier, they still failed to capture Pancho Villa. -
(EU) Battle of the Somme
One of the largest battles of WWI, the Battle of the Somme was fought from July 1 to November 18, 1916, near the Somme River in France. On the first day, the British experienced more than 57,000 casualties. -
(US) Election of 1916
In a close election between Woodrow Wilson and Charles Hughs, Woodrow Wilson, a democratic became the 28th president of the U.S. He planned to keep the U.S. as a neutral during WWI while Charles Hughes wanted the U.S. to get involved. We can see that the winning of President Wilson meant most Americans wanted neutrality for the U.S. and wanted to stay out of war. -
(US) Woodrow Wilson asks Congress for a Declaration of War
"The world must be made safe for democracy," President Woodrow Wilson says as he asks Congress for Declaration of war. President Wilson asks Congress for war because a president can not make the decision to go to war, only Congress can; the president does not hold such power. -
(US) United States Declares War on Germany
On this day, Congress granted President Wilson's request and the U.S. was now at war with Germany. The U.S. lost its neutrality that they had been planning for.
