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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and his wife, had decided to inspect Austro-Hungarian troops in Bosnia. The date chosen for the inspection was a national day in Bosnia. The Black Hand supplied a group of students with weapons for an assassination attempt to mark the occasion. This event is what sparked the war. -
Austria declared war on Serbia
The Austrian government blamed the Serbian government for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife and declared war on Serbia. Although Russia was allied with Serbia, Germany did not believe that she would mobilise and offered to support Austria if necessary. However, Russia did mobilise and, through their alliance with France, called on the French to mobilise. -
Germany declared war on Russia
Germany gave russia an ultimatum of calling of the attack on austria off or they would declare war on Russia... Russia did not comply. Eventualy leading to Britains involvment drawing Canada into the war. -
Germany declared war on France
Germany declared war on France. German troops poured into Belgium as directed under the Schleiffen Plan, drawn up in 1905. The British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding their withdrawal from the neutral Belgium. -
British Declaration of War
Germany mobilized through belgium (neutral) to attack france, Britain gave germany the option of leaving or they would go to war on Germany. Germany did not withdraw from Belgium and Britain declared war on Germany. -
Introduction of Poison Gas
A curious yellow-green cloud drifting slowly towards their line. Puzzled but suspicious the French suspected that the cloud masked an advance by German infantry and ordered their men to mount the trench fire step in readiness for probable attack. The cloud did not mask an infantry attack however; at least, not yet. A Canadian doctor was the first to figure out that urinating on a cloth and holding it over your face neutralized it, leading to canadians proving their bravery and strength. -
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was a First World War battle fought following the First Battle of Ypres the previous autumn. It marked the first time that Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front. Additionally, the battle was the first time that a former colonial force (the 1st Canadian Division) defeated a major European power (the German Empire) on European soil. this was also they time where John Mccrea wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields." -
Lusitania sunk
There outraged protests from the United States at the German U-boat campaign, when the Lusitania, which had many American passengers aboard, was sank. The Germans moderated their U-boat campaign. -
Canadian Parliament Buildings Fire
While World War I was raging in Europe, the Canadian Parliament Buildings in Ottawa caught fire on a freezing February night in 1916. With the exception of the Library of Parliament, the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings was destroyed and seven people died. Rumours were rife that the Parliament Buildings fire was caused by enemy sabotage, but a Royal Commission into the fire concluded that the cause was accidental. -
Battle of the Somme
The battle was preceded by a week long artillery bombardment of the German line which was supposed to destroy the barbed wire defences placed along the German line but only actually succeeded in making no mans land a mess of mud and craters. The five month long battle saw the deaths of 420,000 British soldiers (60,000 on the first day), 200,000 French soldiers and 500,000 German soldiers all for a total land gain of just 25 miles. -
German U-boat campaign
In Germany, orders were given to step up the U-boat campaign. All allied or neutral ships were to be sunk on sight and in one month almost a million tons of shipping was sunk. Neutral countries became reluctant to ship goods to Britain and Lloyd George ordered all ships carrying provisions to Britain to be given a convoy. -
The Conscription Crisis
In early 1917, Robert Borden travelled to Great Britain to discuss the continuation of the war. He pointed out that Australia, despite a lower population, had more troops than Canada. But volunteers were becoming harder to find, and when he returned home, Borden was convinced of the importance of establishing a forced conscription system to compensate for losses. This causes huge riots in Canada, especially in qeubec because french Canadians feel its not their "duty" to help. -
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The objective of the Canadian Corps was to take control of the German-held high ground along an escarpment at the northernmost end of the Arras Offensive. This would ensure that the southern flank could advance without suffering German enfilade fire. Supported by a creeping barrage, the Canadian Corps captured most of the ridge during the first day of the attack. -
Russia Orders Cease Fire
Russia pulled out of WWI because Lenin and the Bolsheviks had promised that they would end Russia's involvement in the war. The Russian army could not match up to the German army and defeat was inevitable. Politically, Lenin had to end the war because he had promised it to the country and if he did not deliver on that promise he faced his own overthrow. The only way he could keep the soldiers and peasants at least neutral in the political fighting was to assure them the war would be over. -
Top Flying Aces of the War
For many, the "ace" is the most enduring image of World War I. The aces were the top pilots of each nation who had downed at least five enemy aircraft during aerial combat. Their governments promoted them to raise morale; civilians adored them for embodying courage, perseverance, and skill; and the press memorialized them as knights of the air. Most important Canada is famous for killing the "Red Baron" -
Armistice signed
At 11 am, in the French town of Redonthes, the Armistice was signed bringing the war to a pause. (fighting haulted but both sides are ready to fight.) Actual war ended in 1919 (see Treaty of Versailles) -
Treaty of Versailles
Negotiations between the Allied powers started on 18 January in the Salle de l'Horloge at the French Foreign Ministry, Having been defeated, Germany, Austria, and Hungary were excluded from the negotiations. Russia was also excluded because it had negotiated a separate peace with Germany in 1918, in which Germany gained a large fraction of Russia's land and resources. The treaty's terms were harsh.
