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Franz Ferdinand is assassinated
Franz Ferdinand and his wife are killed in Sarajevo. The killer was Gavrilo Princip who was a member of the Black Hand. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
The Austrian government blames Serbia for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and declares war on Serbia, therefore starting WWI. -
Germany declares war on Russia
Germany was honoring their alliance with Austria-Hungary. So when Austria declared war on Serbia, Germary declared war on Serbia's allies which were Russia and France. -
Germany declares war on France
Germany was honoring their alliance with Austria-Hungary. So when Austria declared war on Serbia, Germary declared war on Serbia's allies which were Russia and France. -
The Christmas truce is declared
On Christmas Eve, German soldiers put up Christmas trees in their trenches. British soldiers were ordered not to fire but to watch them. Some British soldiers went out to meet the Germans in the middle of No Man's Land to negotiate a truce to stop fighting till New Years. -
Germany declares a "war zone" around Great Britain
Germany declares a "war zone" around Great Britain, making a submarine blockade where even neutral merchant vessels were shot at and destroyed by German U-Boats. -
RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania which was secretly carrying weapons is sunk by a German U-boat, Killing 1,195 passengers, 128 of them were American citizens. -
The Battle of Loos begins
The Battle of Loos was the largest British offensive on the Western Front during WWI. The first British use of poison gas occurred and the battle was the first mass engagement of New Army units. The Franco-British attacks were contained by the German armies. -
The Battle of Verdun begins
The Battle of Verdun begins. The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of World War I and the battle was between Germany and France. -
The Battle of the Somme begins
The Battle of the Somme begins. The battle was fought by Britain and France against Germany and more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed. -
Germany sends the Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico
In early 1917, Germany sent Mexico a coded message promising portions of U.S land in return for Mexico joining WWI against the United States. The message was intercepted by Britain, translated, and shown to the United States giving the U.S a reason to enter the war. -
Nicholas II abdicates from the throne
Nicholas II ruled from November 1st 1894 until his enforced abdication on March 2nd 1917 during the Russian Revolution. On July 17th 1918, Nicholas II and his family are executed. -
Russian Revolution begins
The February Revolution (March 1917) was a revolution focused around Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg). In the chaos, members of the Imperial parliament or Duma assumed control of the country, forming the Russian Provisional Government. The army leadership felt they did not have the means to suppress the revolution and Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, abdicated. -
The United States declares war on Germany
On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson requested war against Germany. Wilson cited Germany’s violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare and its attempt to bring Mexico into an alliance against the U.S. On April 4th 1917, the U.S declared war on Germany. -
The Battle of Ramadi
The Battle of Ramadi was fought in central Iraq and was between the British and the Ottomans; it was part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in WWI. The attack began on September 28th, on the south bank of the Euphrates. Although the Ottomans expected an enemy assault, the British used armored cars, which the defenders were not ready to fight against, and the Ottomans were quickly surrounded. Ottoman forces surrendered in the morning of September 29th. -
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issues his Fourteen Points to peace
The "Fourteen Points" is made by United States President Woodrow Wilson. The speech laid out a policy (free trade, open agreements, democracy and self-determination). -
Russia leaves WWI
The loss of life Russia suffered in the war was catastrophic. Between 900,000 and 2,500,000 Russians soldiers were killed and nearly 94,000 Russian soldiers were held as Prisoners of war. So Russia signed an armistice with Germany. -
The Red Baron is shot down
The German flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen, is shot down. Manfred von Richthofen, was credited with bringing down 80 enemy aircraft. Who killed him remains unknown. He was 25 years old when he died. -
Armistice Day
The last day of WWI was November 11th 1918, known as Armistice Day. Germany signed an Armistice. However, the fighting would not stop until 11.00 to allow the information to travel to all parts of the Western Front. Over 10,000 men were killed, wounded or went missing that day. The Americans alone suffered over 3,000 casualties. -
The Treaty of Versailles officially ends WWI
The Treaty of Versailles ended the war between Germany and the Allies. It was signed on June 28th 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The other countries on Germany's side during the war were dealt with in separate treaties. Although the armistice, signed on November 11th 1918, ended the actual fighting, it took six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty.