World War I

  • ALLIES

    ALLIES
    The Allies included Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the United States. These countries fought against the Central Powers which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. Archduke Ferdinand, of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated by a Serb on June 28, 1914.
  • CENTRAL POWERS

    CENTRAL POWERS
    World War One is a conflict between the Central Powers and the Allies. The Central Powers (red) consist of Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. Important allied powers (yellow) are Serbia, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the United States.
  • 1914 ASSASINATION OF ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINANAD

    1914 ASSASINATION OF ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINANAD
    Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia and, from 1896 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne
  • SCHLIEFFEN PLAN

    SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
    The Schlieffen Plan was the operational plan for a designated attack on France once Russia, in response to international tension, had started to mobilise her forces near the German border. The execution of the Schlieffen Plan led to Britain declaring war on Germany on August 4th, 1914.
  • SINKING OF BRITISH LINER LUSITIANA

    SINKING OF BRITISH LINER LUSITIANA
    The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • SINKING OF BRITISH LINER ARABIC

    SINKING OF BRITISH LINER ARABIC
    SS Arabic was a British-registered ocean liner that entered service in 1903 for the White Star Line. She was sunk on 19 August 1915, during the First World War, by German submarine SM U-24, 50 mi (80 km) south of Kinsale, causing a diplomatic incident.
  • SINKING OF FRENCH PASSENGER LINER SUSSEX

    SINKING OF FRENCH PASSENGER LINER SUSSEX
    Sussex was a cross-English Channel passenger ferry, built in 1896 for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR). After the LBSCR came to a co-operation agreement with the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'État Français, she transferred to their fleet under a French flag. Sussex became the focus of an international incident when she was severely damaged by a torpedo from a German U-Boat in 1916. After the war she was repaired and sold to Greece in 1919, being renamed Aghia Sophia. Foll
  • ZIMMERMAN NOTE

    ZIMMERMAN NOTE
    The Zimmermann Telegram (or Zimmermann Note) was an internal diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January, 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event of the United States' entering World War I against Germany.
  • SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT OF 1917

    SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT OF 1917
    The Selective Service Act or Selective Draft Act (Pub.L. 65–12, 40 Stat. 76, enacted May 18, 1917) authorized the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into World War I through the compulsory enlistment of people.
  • ESPIONAGE AND SEDITION ACTS

    ESPIONAGE AND SEDITION ACTS
    The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code (War) but is now found under Title 18, Crime.
  • CONVOY SYSTEM

    CONVOY SYSTEM
    The convoy system, which can be defined as a group of merchant vessels sailing together, with or without naval escort, for mutual security and protection, has a much longer history than sometimes suggested.
  • WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD

    WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD
    The War Industries Board (WIB) was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The organization encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and urged them to eliminate waste by standardizing products.
  • SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE

    SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE
    The Second Battle of the Marne (French: Seconde Bataille de la Marne), or Battle of Reims (15 July – 6 August 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War.
  • BATTLE OF THE SOMME

    BATTLE OF THE SOMME
    Fought between July 1 and November 1, 1918 near the Somme River in France, it was also one of the bloodiest military battles in history. On the first day alone, the British suffered more than 57,000 casualties, and by the end of the campaign the Allies and Central Powers would lose more than 1.5 million men.
  • AUSTRIA HUNGARY SURRENDERS TO THE ALLIES

    AUSTRIA HUNGARY SURRENDERS TO THE ALLIES
    The Armistice of Villa Giusti ended warfare between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I. The armistice was signed on 3 November 1918 in the Villa Giusti, outside of Padua in the Veneto, northern Italy, and was to take effect 24 hours later.
  • NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD

    NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD
    The National War Labor Board (NWLB) was a United States federal agency created in two different incarnations, the first by President Woodrow Wilson from 1918–19 during World War I and the second by President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1942–45 during World War II.
  • ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GERMAN REPUBLIC

    ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GERMAN REPUBLIC
    The Federal Republic of Germany (popularly known as West Germany) is formally established as a separate and independent nation. This action marked the effective end to any discussion of reuniting East and West Germany.
  • CEASE FIRE AND ARMISTICE

    CEASE FIRE AND ARMISTICE
    An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, since it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the Latin arma, meaning "arms" (as in weapons) and -stitium, meaning "a stopping".
  • FOOD ADMINISTRATION

    FOOD ADMINISTRATION
    During the United States participation in World War I the U. S. Food Administration was the responsible agency for the administration of the U.S. army overseas and allies' food reserves. One of its important tasks was the stabilization of the price of wheat on the U. S. market.
  • COMITEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION

    COMITEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION
    The Committee on Public Information, also known as the CPI or the Creel Committee, was an independent agency of the government of the United States created to influence U.S. public opinion regarding American participation in World War I.