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Gavrilo-Princip, a member of the Serbian nationalist group, Black Hand, wanted Bosnia to join Serbia rather than the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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After already rising tensions in the region, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand II was "the spark that ignited the war."
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Led by Kaiser Wilhelm, Germany declares war on Russia.
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Germany wanted to invade France but had to take Belgium first.
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Germany was known to target non-military vessels with its U-boats. The sinking of the Lusitania was one of the last straws for the U.S.
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After the sinking of the Lusitania, Kaiser Wilhelm restricts submarine warfare to try to keep the U.S. out of the conflict.
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The longest battle of the war. The French successfully held off the Germans.
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The British deployed the "Landship" to be a crucial weapon. It did destroy barbed wire and provided cover for infantry,however, it broke down too often and was ineffective in combat.
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U-boats begin targeting non-military vessels.
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Intercepted message from the Germans by the British that said Mexico should side with Germany in promise of returning Texas. Mexico declined the proposal anyway.
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The Menshevik party takes control of Russia. The Mensheviks dethroned Tsar Nicholas II. This was the end of the Romanov dynasty and the end of the Russian Empire.
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On April 2 President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, to make the world a safer place. Congress granted the declaration on April 4.
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Congress authorized the draft. Many in the U.S. opposed the draft because they believed it would destroy democracy. President Wilson said there was no other choice but to initiate the draft.
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Coup led by Vladimir Lenin (leader of Bolshevik party) successfully takes power in Russia. The Bolshevik party was renamed the Russian Communist Party.
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The Bolsheviks did not support the war and desired to end the rising death toll, economic deprivation and food shortages, and also wanted to focus resources on building the new socialist state.
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Armistice between Soviet Russia and Germany was signed and fighting stopped.
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The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed to end Soviet Russia's participation in WW I.
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After realizing there was no hope for a German victory, Wilhelm lived out the rest of his life in the Netherlands.
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Armistice was signed in Redonthes, France.
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State of war between Germany and the Allies ended, five years after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand II. Germany had to pay 266 gold marks in reparations (63 billion dollars which equals about $768 billion today).
