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Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are shot dead. This sparks the beginning of World War 1
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Russia moves its large army to Austria-Hungary in support of Serbia. This starts a chain reaction for the rest of the European Great Powers and inevitably leads to hostility.
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World War 1 officially begins with the German troops invading Belgium.
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Germans fire shells filled with chlorine gas at the Allied troops. This is the first time large amounts of gas are used in a battle.
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The extermination of the Armenian people living in the Ottoman Empire begins. 1.5 million people lost their lives from death marches, starvation, and planned massacres.
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A German submarine sinks the passenger ship with 1,198 people aboard.
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International outrage breaks out due to the sinking of the Lusitania. Germany suspends unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to keep the US out of the war.
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Britain uses the first tanks ever in battle. They are useful at breaking through barbed wire and clearing a path for the infantry. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180531-the-wwi-tank-that-helped-change-warfare-forever
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Germany brings back unrestricted submarine use in warfare. This act draws the United States into entering the war more than any other.
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A message from Germany is sent to Mexico proposing that Mexico should side with Germany in case the United States enters the war. Germany promises to give back the American Southwest back to Mexico. Mexico declines the offer and American public opinion shifts to support for entering the war.
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President Wilson prepares to outline his case for war to Congress.
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Congress approves declaring war on Germany.
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Congress passes the Selective Service Act authorizing the draft. This is criticized for destroying democracy, but president Wilson claims that there is no other option as he signs the bill. https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2018/06/wwi-draft/
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The terms of the treaty give Germany huge tracts of land in Ukraine and Poland. This peace on the Eastern front advances the soldiers to the Western front, causing problems for the Allies.
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First major American offensive in the war. This battle was small, but it leads to larger attacks against Germany.
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The US attacks Germany across an open wheat field, suffering huge casualties. During this three-week battle, more than 100,000 American soldiers lives were lost. This also marks the German's farthest advance on Paris.
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Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates, ending any last hope for a German victory.
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Fighting on the Western Front stops as both sides agree to a ceasefire. https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/november-11/
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The Allies meet following the end of the war to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers.
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The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the treaties that brought World War 1 to an end. The treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers
