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The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was killed in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, sparking tensions that led to war. -
This marks the official beginning of World War I as alliances between nations begin to activate. -
Germany supports Austria-Hungary, while Russia backs Serbia, escalating the conflict. -
Germany launches its plan to quickly defeat France before turning to fight Russia. -
Britain joins the war after Germany violates Belgian neutrality. -
Germany defeats Russia in one of the first major battles of the Eastern Front.
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Allied forces stop the German advance on Paris; trench warfare begins.
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Germany uses chlorine gas for the first time, introducing chemical warfare. -
Allied forces attempt to control the Dardanelles but fail against the Ottoman Empire.
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One of the longest and bloodiest battles; symbol of French determination.
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Over one million casualties; tanks used for the first time in combat.
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Fought in terrible muddy conditions; heavy losses for small territorial gains. -
The Tsar is overthrown, and later, the Bolsheviks seize power under Lenin.
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The U.S. joins the Allies, bringing new troops and resources to the fight. -
The Allies launch a final series of attacks that push German forces back.
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Russia officially withdraws from the war after peace talks with Germany. -
Fighting stops at 11 a.m.; Germany agrees to ceasefire, ending World War I. -
Officially ends the war; Germany is blamed and forced to pay reparations. -
(01/09/1939 – 06/10/1939) Germany invades Poland using blitzkrieg tactics, and the Soviet Union attacks from the east, officially starting World War II in Europe. -
(14/06/1940) German troops enter Paris after a rapid invasion of France, forcing the French government to surrender days later. -
(10/07/1940 – 31/10/1940) Germany launches massive air attacks against Britain, but the Royal Air Force successfully defends the country and prevents invasion. -
(22/06/1941 – 05/12/1941) Germany begins a huge surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front and advancing deep into Soviet territory. -
(07/12/1941) Japan launches a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, leading the United States to enter the war. -
(04/06/1942 – 07/06/1942) The United States defeats Japan in a decisive naval battle, destroying several Japanese aircraft carriers and changing the course of the Pacific War. -
(23/10/1942 – 11/11/1942) British-led Allied forces defeat the Axis army in Egypt, stopping Germany’s advance toward the Suez Canal and Middle Eastern oil fields. -
(23/08/1942 – 02/02/1943) Soviet forces surround and defeat the German army in Stalingrad after months of brutal urban combat, marking a major turning point in the war. -
(28/11/1943 – 01/02/1943) Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet in Tehran to coordinate military strategy and discuss plans for the Allied invasion of Western Europe. -
(06/06/1944) Allied forces land on the beaches of Normandy in Operation Overlord, beginning the liberation of Nazi-occupied Western Europe. -
(17/07/1945 – 02/08/1945) Truman, Churchill, and Stalin meet in Potsdam to decide how Germany would be occupied and governed after the war. -
(04/02/1945 – 11/02/1945) Allied leaders meet in Crimea to plan the final defeat of Germany and discuss how Europe would be reorganized after the war. -
(19/02/1945 – 26/03/1945) U.S. Marines capture the heavily defended island of Iwo Jima after intense fighting, gaining an important base near Japan. -
(16/04/1945 – 02/05/1945) Soviet forces launch the final assault on Berlin, leading to Hitler’s suicide and the collapse of Nazi Germany. -
(08/05/1945) Victory in Europe Day celebrates Germany’s unconditional surrender and the end of World War II in Europe. -
(06/08/1945 – 09/08/1945) The United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing massive destruction and leading Japan toward surrender.
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