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On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was murdered. He was killed by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. His wife was also killed at the time; they were visiting Serejevo.
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On June 28th, the same day as the assassination, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. 3 days later, Germany declares war on Russia. 2 days after that, Germany declares war on France. On August 4th, the U.K. declares war on Germany. On August 6th, Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany.
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German and British soldiers declare an unofficial "Christmas Truce" on December 24th, 1914. The troups ceased the fighting until the end of Christmas Day on the Western Front. The soldiers even sang songs and exchanged gifts with their enemies.
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On January 19, 1917, Germany sends the Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico in an effort to influence them to join the war. The message said that if Mexico joins the Central Powers, and they win, they can have the United States. The British intercepted this message.
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Claude Ayres, 1st engineer in World War 1, writes in his diary that he starts seeing "real air battles". He hears talk of Boche guns and close calls from shells around where he is stationed. He writes this on March 24, 1917.
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On April 6, 1917, The United States joins the Allies and declares war on Germany. They did this because of the Zimmerman Telegram and becuase Germany had recently killed 100 Americans. President Woodrow Wilson made the decision.
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On May 18, 1917, congress passed the Selective Service Act. This made military drafts possible. President Wilson was criticized for this, but felt like he had no other choice,
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On December 3rd, 1917, Quincy Claude Ayres boards his ship headed towards the warfront. He then began writing his diary entries. He wrote for the next 16 months while overseas.
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On January 8, 1918, Woodrow Wilson issued the "Fourteen Points to Peace". This was a speech about ending World War 1 peacefully and ensuring it would never happen again. In this speech, he proposed what is now the United Nations.
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Kaiser Wilhelm was Germany's emperor during World War 1. He left the country when Germany was struggling with the war, losing all hope of victory. He escaped to the Netherlands where he lived out the remainder of his life.
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On November 11th, 1918, Germany signs an armistice in France. The fighting stopped on the 11th month, 11th day, and 11th hour. This day is now known as Veteran's Day.
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On December 1, 1918, Ayres and his fellow soldiers move through Luxenburg and into Germany. They go as far as Coblenz. The German people, Quincy Ayres wrote, were "kind" and "friendly".
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While in Coblenz, Quincy Claude Ayres is ordered to meet with the other engineers. They are told that they can go home on March 9, 1919. He writes, "When I think of seeing Mary, I go wild absolutely insane" (Mary is his wife whom he hasn't seen in almost 2 years).
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On June 8, 1919, Ayres finally arrives in America. His wife is waiting for him at home. He writes, "I am rather glad Mary is not coming out tomrrow for, in my present mood, I believe I would kill her with my misdirected emotions",
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On June 28th, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles officially ends World
War 1. It ceased all fighting between Germany and the Allies. It was signed exactly five years after the assissination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
