ww1 timeline project

By Logan Jordan

  • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed between Russia and Germany.

  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungarian Empire, and his wife are assassinated.

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungarian Empire, and his wife are assassinated.

  • Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

    Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

  • The Ottoman Empire signs a secret alliance with Germany agreeing to enter the war once Germany declares war on Russia. They formally enter the war several months later on October 28,1914 when they bomb Russian sea ports.

    The Ottoman Empire signs a secret alliance with Germany agreeing to enter the war once Germany declares war on Russia. They formally enter the war several months later on October 28,1914 when they bomb Russian sea ports.

    Bulgaria joins the Central Powers on October 15, 1915.
  • Germany declares war on neutral Belgium and invades Belgium and Luxembourg as part of the Schlieffen Plan. As a result, Britain declares war on Germany.

    Germany declares war on neutral Belgium and invades Belgium and Luxembourg as part of the Schlieffen Plan. As a result, Britain declares war on Germany.

  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.

  • The Ottoman Empire signs a secret alliance with Germany

    agreeing to enter the war once Germany declares war on Russia. They formally enter the war several months later on October 28, 1914 when they bomb Russian seaports. Bulgaria joins the Central Powers on October 15, 1915.

  • The United States declares neutrality in the war.

  • The German army defeats Russia at the Battle of Tannenberg.

  • German invasion of France is halted at the First Battle of Marne.

  • The Race to the Sea ends when the Germans withdraw at the 1st Battle of Ypres.

  • Unofficial Christmas truce is declared by German and Allied soldiers in the trenches along the Western Front.

  • he Germans use poison gas at the 2nd battle of Ypres.

  • Armenian Genocide begins.

  • Allies begin a nine-month battle for the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli.

  • Italy Joins the Allies.

  • A German U-boat sinks the Lusitania killing 1,198 civilians, including 128 Americans.

  • British nurse, Edith Cavell, is executed by the Germans.

  • The Battle of Verdun is fought resulting in an estimated one million casualties.

  • Germany and Allies sign the Treaty of Versailles. The U.S. Senate later refuses to ratify it.

  • The British introduce the tank during the Battle of Somme. The battle results in an estimated one million casualties.

  • Woodrow Wilson is re-elected President of the United States.

  • Emperor Karl of Austria abdicates.

  • British cryptographers decipher a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to the German Minister of Mexico.

  • The Germans resume unrestricted submarine warfare.

  • Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates.

  • The 3rd battle of Ypres, also known as Passchendaele, results in minor gains for the Allies and a total of 700,000 casualties.

  • The Balfour Declaration is presented in London.

  • President Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war against Germany.

  • President Wilson outlines his Fourteen Points in a speech before Congress.

  • Germans on the banks of the Marne near Paris are stopped by American forces at Chateau-Thierry

  • At eleven o’clock on this day, war on the Western Front ends as Germany and the Allies sign an Armistice.

  • Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany abdicates.

  • The Treaty of Sevres ends the war on the Eastern Front with the Ottoman Empire.

Want to make a timeline like this?

Use Timetoast to turn dates, events, milestones, and phases into a clear visual timeline you can build and share. Timetoast is a timeline maker for work, school, research, and stories.

Create your own timeline