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On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip.
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U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces the U.S. will remain neutral.
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Germany declares a "war zone" around Great Britain, essentially effecting a submarine blockade where even neutral merchant vessels were to be potential targets.
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The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by German U-boat, U-20
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The Battle of Verdun begins. The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of World War I and was one of the bloodiest.
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During the Battle of the Somme, tanks are first introduced into battle.
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Germany sends the secret Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico in an effort to entice Mexico to join the war. The British intercept and decipher the coded message.
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The U.S declares war on Germany
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President Woodrow Wilson issues his Fourteen Points to peace.
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The Treaty of Versailles (French: Traité de Versailles) was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
