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Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, visit Sarajevo. They continue their visit only to be shot and killed a short time later by a lone assassin. Believing the assassin to be a Serbian nationalist, the Austrians target their anger toward Serbia. It sparked a butterfly effect leading to WWI. -
Great Britain declares war on Germany. The declaration is binding on all countries within the British Empire. Many Americans sided with the British. -
A German U-Boat torpedoes the British passenger liner Lusitania off the Irish coast. It sinks in 18 minutes, drowning 1,201 persons, including 128 Americans. President Woodrow Wilson subsequently sends four diplomatic protests to Germany. It is significant to America because it made people really turn against Germany and also killed American citizens. -
American voters re-elect President Woodrow Wilson who had campaigned on the slogan, "He kept us out of war." Wilson kept American citizens out of danger. -
The British intercepted a telegram from German Foreign Office official Alfred Zimmermann, outlining a proposed alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States. Germany intended to support Mexico in reclaiming territories lost to the U.S. in exchange for their military alliance. The British shared the telegram with the Americans, leading to public outrage and increased calls for U.S. military intervention in the war. It marked the ppint also when America stopped being isolated. -
The United States of America declares war on Germany. President Woodrow Wilson signed this joint resolution, ending America's neutral stance on the ongoing war and finally agrees to involve America. This is contradictory to why people liked him, he kept Americans safe from war and people now have to enlist. -
The first American troops land in France. Their arrival had been kept a secret to further guard against German intervention, but it did not take long for the local French population to begin cheering them through the streets. -
Woodrow Wilson's decision to bring the United States into the First World War brought widespread opposition. To suppress this, the government adopted legislation — the Espionage Act, the Sedition Act — which led to the imprisonment of almost a thousand people. -
An armistice was signed between the Germans and the Allies, ending World War I. -
The Versailles Peace Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, officially ended World War I. It was signed on the same day, five-years earlier the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated at Sarajevo, Bosnia, starting the war.