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Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary.
I could barely find anything on this. The Library of Congress says it was in response to Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Russia, but Austria-Hungary didn't even declare war on Serbia until 2 days later. Maybe they were operating on a different calendar. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
This is the concrete date for the beginning of WWI. It occurred one month after Franz Ferdinand's assassination. The declaration of war came with the unconditional support of its ally Germany. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and wife Sophie are assassinated by a Bosnian Serb nationalist in Sarajevo.
This event is widely considered the spark that started WWI. Though the death of Sophie was unintentional, Ferdinand's assassination was planned by a group called the Young Bosnians. The resulting turmoil became the largest war in the world's history up to this point. -
Germany declares war on Russia.
This was in response to Russia mobilizing its military. Germany gave an ultimatum that if Russia didn't stop, they would declare war. Russia didn't stop. -
Germany declares war on France.
This took place two days after Germany declared war on Russia and one day before Britain declared war on Germany. Both were already very militarized, so they immediately readied troops to fight. This was just another step in the chain of nations declaring war on each other. -
Britain declares war on Germany.
Britain was worried that if they did not become involved, Germany would take control of Europe. Specifically they were worried that otherwise the French would be defeated. This brought the world's most powerful nation into the war, and more than 80 million total citizens and colonists with it. -
The British begin a naval blockade of Germany.
This blockade lasted all 5 years of the war. It attempted to cut off supplies to the Central Powers, and was somewhat successful in this endeavor. German U-boats were, however, useful in countering the blockade. -
First Battle of the Marne begins.
This was exactly a century before my 11th birthday. One French army attacked Germany as German forces were in pursuit of a different French army. Germany retreated 3 days later. -
An unofficial truce is declared between the two sides at Christmas.
The Pope suggested a truce to celebrate Christmas. The military leaders of the nations didn't agree to it, so the soldiers in the trenches took it onto their own hands. -
The Second Battle of Ypres begins.
This was the first time the Germans successfully used chemical warfare. The battle itself did not yield significant gains for the Germans, but it did introduce what would become a common weapon for the rest of the war. -
British ocean liner Lusitania is torpedoed by a German U-boat.
This attack killed 1,195 people. 187 of them were Americans, which caused a strain in the relationship between the neutral US and Germany. Americans were still cautious about going to war, so though it added to tensions, this event did not end up being the straw that broke the camels back. -
British ocean liner Lusitania is torpedoed by a German U-boat.
This was an unprovoked attack that killed 1198 people. 128 were Americans. This made tensions between the neutral US and Germany skyrocket, but did not directly cause a declaration of war -
The Battle of Verdun begins.
This was a German attack on France. It ended in December of the same year, making it the longest battle of the war. It caused massive German casualties, as the French were not as easy of an opponent as it had been assumed. -
The Battle of Jutland begins.
This was the largest naval battle of the war. Both sides claimed victory, as the battle was indecisive. The British, however, did hold control of the North Sea. -
First Battle of the Somme begins.
This battle was a British offensive against the Germans in France. It contained the day with the most British casualties up to this point. It lasted 4 months, and the Allies advanced 5 miles. -
Zimmermann Telegram intercepted by the British.
This was a telegram sent to the German ambassador to Mexico ordering him to propose an alliance should the US and Germany go to war. If Mexico were to attack the US (with German-supplied weapons), Germany would allow Mexico to keep territory acquired in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. -
Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the throne after a week of riots in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg.
Russians were feeling the cost of the war, with many in the country starving. This decreased public support for Tsar Nicholas II. Russia was also taking big losses in the war, so that added to the feeling that he was an inadequate leader. -
President Woodrow Wilson issues his Fourteen Points.
This was a speech given to Congress about a plan for lasting peace worldwide. He called for the Allies to be unselfish and generous toward the Central Powers, as this would be more likely to create peace. This did not happen. -
The Soviet government signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers.
This treaty ended Russia's involvement in the war. After Nicholas II abdicated the throne, it was one of Lenin's first priorities as leader to get out of the war. Russia lost about 1 million square miles of land and a third of its population, though this was not all permanent. -
The Treaty of Versailles ends WWI.
Interestingly, the treaty was signed 5 years to the day after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This treaty can be viewed as an early cause of WWII. This is due to the harsh terms it set for the Germans.
