-
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austo-Hungarian throne. A Serbian nationalist shot him and his pregnant wife Sohpie -this led to World War 1. -
Period: to
WWI Timeline
-
Austria-Hungary Declared War on Serbia
Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary asked for Germany's help to enforce authority on the crime of the assassination. Since the person who killed Ferdinand was from Serbia, Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia and declared war. -
Russia Mobilizes Troops
Serbia asked Russia for help and Russia felt that Germany was using this situation to start a war in the Balkans. As an ally of Serbia, Russia started mobilizing its army. -
Germany Declared War on Russia
Germany heard of Russia mobilizing its troops so they declared war on Russia. -
Germany Declared War on France
Germany launched its attack on France since France was Russia's ally. -
Britain Declared War on Germany
By launching its attack on Paris, France, Germany invaded neutral Belgium in the process. Great Britain responded by declaring war on Germany. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A German U-boat torpedoed this British ship and it sunk off the Irish coast. The death of 1,198 passengers, including 128 Americans, helped move American public opinion away from neutrality. -
Wilson Demands End to Sub Warfare
President Woodrow Wilson publicly demands that Germany end their unrestricted submarine warfare. -
Bomb in U.S. Senate Reception Room
Erich Muenter, a German instructor at Cornell University, set off a bomb in the U.S. Senate reception room and shot financier J. Pierpont Morgan. He commited sudicide aftwerwards. -
Re-election of 1916
Woodrow Wilson ampaigned for re-election with a peace platform. His campaign slogan was "He kept us out of the war" and he was re-elected. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
British cryptographers deciphered a telegram that German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann sent to the German Minister in Mexico offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause against the U.S. Despite the tenstions between Mexico and the U.S., Mexico declined the offer. -
Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare.
Germany announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. Wilson responded by cutting off diplomatic relations with the German government. -
Wilson Recieves News of the Telegram
To gain advantage from the growing anti-German sentiment in the United States, the British waited until this day to present the decoded telegram to Woodrow Wilson. Wilson was shocked by the threat to American security and he proposed to Congress the arming of U.S. ships against German attacks the next day. -
Telegram News is Published
In a calculated move, Wilson released the Zimmerman Telegram to the American press. -
Woodrow Wilson's War Message
German submarines were sinking many American commercial ships in March which made Wilson angrier so he addressed Congress by citing a long list of grievances against Germany. In asking Congress to declare war against Germany, Wilson said, "The world must be made safe for democracy." -
U.S. Declares War
The United States declares war on the Central Powers. Six Senators and 50 Representatives had voted against the declaration.
