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Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was identified and torpedoed by the German U-boat, U-20 and sank in approximately 18 minutes. They sunk the Lusitania because Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom which had implemented a naval blockade of Germany. -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated while visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia. He was next in line for the Austro-Hungarian throne. The killings set off decades old tensions in Europe and started WWI. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
On July 28, 1914, one month to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, effectively beginning the First World War. -
Zimmerman Note
The Zimmerman note was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico. -
U.S. enters WWI
In 1917, Germany determined to its war of attrition against the Allies. Then, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Germany, and just hours after that the American liner Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat. -
WWI Ends
Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies on November 11, 1918. World War I was known as the “war to end all wars” because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused.Mar 10, 2010. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. -
Senate rejects League of Nations
On Nov. 19, 1919, the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles based primarily on objections to the League of Nations. The U.S. would never confirm the treaty or join the League of Nations.
