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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
An event that many believe to be the "spark" of WWI. During a trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife were shot and killed by a Serbian nationalist; the Serbian nationalist was part of the Serbian terrorist group, The Black Hands. -
Establishment of The Canadian Patriotic Fund by Federal state
Montreal social activist and manufacturer Sir Herbert Ames established The Canadian Patriotic Fund (CPF), It was a private organization with the Governer General as a Patron and the federal minister of finance as treasurer. The CPF raised almost $50 million for soldiers' families. Therefore reassuring the 20% of married soldiers. -
German U-boats Sunk First Ship, HMS Pathfinder
The HMS Pathfinder was sunk by a German torpedo from a submarine. The U-boat operator was Otto Hersing and used a SM U 21 U boat. The HMS Pathfinder was the first ship to be sunk by the German U-boats. -
Sinking of the Lusitania by German U-boat
The RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner that mainly carried passengers and goods across the Atlantic Ocean (between America and Britian). It was sunk by a German torpedo killing 1 198 people, 128 of which were American citizens. This elicited hosility towards Germans from the American homefront. -
First Use of Chlorine gas during the Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first to experience Chlorine gas. The Germans released 5700 cylinders of chlorine gas, forcing the French to retreat; the Germans did not have enough protection from the Chlorine to take immediate advantage of the gap. Canadians rose up to the challenge and fought through the night, defending the Western Front until reinforcements arrived. Although Canadians suffered 6035 casualties, they earned recognition for being reliable soldiers from this battle. -
Execution of British Nurse Edith Cavell
Before WWI Cavell served as the Matron of her post in Brussels, tending to Belgians and Germans. During WWI she aided British and French prisoners-of-war and Belgians hoping to join the Allies across to Holland. This lead to her arrest by German authorities in 1915. She admited that she was guilty for her crimes and only asked for Holy Communion before her execution. 49-year-old British nurse Edith Cavell was executed by a German firing squad in Brussels, Belgium. -
Battle of Vimy Ridge
After French and British failure, Canadians were told to capture Vimy Ridge. In Northern France, near Arras, the British Empire and the German Empire under Arthur Curtis fought. Canadians tried to isolate German trenches and to keep them away from their machine guns. Creeping Barrage was used heavily in this battle. French units were forced to munity because of their failure. 11 285 soldiers were killed. However, Canada prevailled and did what others could not. -
Government passed the Wartime Elections Act
Robert Borden's Conservative government bassed the Wartime Elections Act during the Conscription Crisis of 1917. This allowed women to vote for the first time. However, they had to have relations (sister, mother or wife) to a soldier serving in the war. Borden passed this bill so that he had better chances of being revoted as Prime Minister. -
Battle of Passchendaele
East of Ypres, on the Western Front, the Battle of Passchendaele (between the Germans and Canadians) lasted for 4 months. The terrain was flat, muddy and it consistently rained (horrible conditions for war). Equipment sank into the mud and horses drowned. The Canadian Corps was lead by Arthur Currie. Their goals were to drive Germans away from essential channel ports and eliminate U-boat bases on the coast. The British lost 275k men, Germans lost 220k men and Canadian 16k men but the Allies won. -
Treaty of Versailles
Germany and the Allied Forces signed The Treaty of Versailles, one of the peace agreements during the end of WWI. It was signed exactly 5 years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Through this treaty Germany had to take full responsibility for the war. One condition was Germany had to pay reparations to the Allied Forces, as well as other countries, worth $7 billion ($440 billion now) for the damage. Germany's humiliation from most of these conditions set the stage for WWII.
