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The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Picture Caption: Franz Ferdinand. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Earlier in the day, an assassination attempt had been made, and stopped, but due to a poorly planned route, Ferdinand was assassinated anyway. This event was, in a sense, the match that sparked WWI. -
The War Begins
Picture Caption: Serbian Troops in 1914. On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.This was the start of the War. Little did they know that this was to be one of the most horrible and bloodiest wars in history. Soon after, on August 3rd, Germany declared war on France. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
Picture Caption: the RMS Lusitania In May, 1915, the RMS Lusitania was shot down by a German U boat. Shorty thereafter, there was a large explosion, which suggested that the British ship might have been illegally carrying heavy munition. However, the boat also was carrying many civilians who were killed. Some of these were American citizens, so this event sparked American anger towards the Germans. However, before the ship set sail, the Germans had placed a warning in the newspaper. -
The Battle of the Somme
Picture Caption: Men fighting with machine guns. July 1st, 1916, the French and the British led an attack on the Germans near the Somme River in France. This was to become one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war. German artillery and guns killed many soldiers. In fact, the first day of battle marked the greatest loss of troops in one day for the British. The fighting stretched on for months. In the end, the Germans were driven back about 7 miles, with the casualties over 1 million. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
Picture Caption: The encoded Zimmermann Telegram, and a translation. During the month of January, 1917, the Zimmermann telegram was sent. It was an encoded message that asked Mexico to join the war on the side of Germany if the Americans entered into the war. However, the telegram was intercepted by British intelligence and Decoded. It was shared with Americans, and seeing this telegram made people even more angry at the Germans. It was a major factor that led to America joining the war. -
The US Enters the War
Picture Caption: President Woodrow Wilsion gives a war message. Just three months after the Zimmermann telegram reachead America, the country had entered into war. A variety of factors had let up to this, including Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare, the Zimmermann telegram, and the sinking of the Lusitania. Some people had objections, but most Americans were very angry with Germany. -
Wilson's Gives his 14 Points
Picture Caption: The 14 points. On the eighth of Jantuary, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson gave his "14 points" speech to Congress. The 14 points were idealistic goals for the future, and moral justification for WWI. The 14 points also proposed the Leauge of Nations, which was formed, but America did not join, calling it unconstitutional. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Picture Caption: The war took a great toll on Russia. By 1918, Russia (fighting for the Allies) was suffering from much inner tumult, and they had lost much in the war. Their leader was overthrown and replaced by V. I. Lenin. One of the first things that their new leader did was to begin peace talks with Germany. On March 3rd, the treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, taking Russia out of the war and handing over much territory to Germany. -
The Spring and Hundred Days Offensives
Picture Caption: A map of the German Spring Offensive In March, 1918, the Germans were eager to deal the blow that would end the war. So, they began what is know as the spring offensive, an attempt to seperate British and French troops on the western front. The Germans made huge territorial gains and drove the Allies back. However, this spread German troops thin, and the Allies were able to drive them further back than before with the 100 days offensive. -
Armistice with Bulgaria
Picture Caption: Bulgaria signed an armistice with the Allies. In September, Bulgaria signed an Armistce with the Allies. Part of this involed giving some territory to the Allies. This was important because the territory that was handed over was, in effect, Germany's last source of food because of the British Naval Blockade. At this point, it began to be clear that the Allies were going to win the war. -
Armistice Day
Picture Caption: The poppy is often used as a symbol of Armistice day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields". At 11 am on November 11th, the fighting of World War 1 ended with the Allies victorious over the centeral powers. The war had lasted for four years, from 1914-1918. There had been over 30 million casualies. This day is now celebrated in America as Armistice day. -
The Treaty of Versailles
Picture Caption: Versailles armistice talks. On June 28, 1919, exactly 5 years to the day after the assasination of Franz Ferdinand, the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Many were not happy with it, and said it was overly harsh on Germany. In fact, the US did not ratify it because it included the leage of nations. But, it did put an end to the horrible first world war and at last, at least for a little while, there was peace.
