-
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassination
The assassination of Franz-Ferdinand set off a rapid chain of events and sparked the start of WWII. -
Germany Declares War on Russia
Germany warns Russia to stop mobilizing. Russia says mobilization is against Austria-Hungary only -
The first Offensive
The first Austrian attack came over the river Drina -
Battle of the Frontiers
the French "Plan XVII" which was meant to retrieve territories lost in the Franco-Prussian War -
Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare
The explosion occurred just outside the entry to Cork harbour killing all 27 crew members on board. -
Germany suspends unrestricted submarine warfare
-
The Zimmermann Note is forwarded to Mexico
The note was intercepted and deciphered by the British. -
First American troops land in France
-
United States declares war to Austria-Hungary
The U.S. federal government declares war to Austria-Hungary, an ally of Germany. -
President Wilson outlines his Fourteen Points plan
The plan demonstrated the moral side of the World War I, and partially planned some of the territorial arrangement in Europe when the war ends. -
The Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne was noted for being the last German offensive on the Western Front before the are finally effectivelly counterattacked by France. -
The Treaty of Versailles is signed
he Treaty of Versailles, the document that especially concerned Germany, is signed. -
Adolf Hitler becomes leader of National Socialist (Nazi) Party
Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the National Socialist German Workers' Party, or Nazi Party, grew into a mass movement and ruled Germany through totalitarian means -
Germany invades Poland. World War II begins
German troops invade Poland on the ground while Hitler's air force bombs Polish cities from the sky. -
France and Great Britain declare war on Germany
Britain and France declare war on Germany honoring their commitment to Poland. -
Germany invades and takes control of Denmark and Norway
German warships enter major Norwegian ports, from Narvik to Oslo, deploying thousands of German troops and occupying Norway. -
Auschwitz is established
Heinrich Himmler ordered the construction of a new camp near Oswiecim, Poland. It quickly became one of the largest camps. -
The United States begins its first peacetime draft
-
Germany invades the Soviet Union
Germany invades the Soviet Union violating the Nonaggression Pact. U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson estimates that it will take Hitler less than three months to conquer the Soviet Union. -
Pearl Harbor
Wrplanes from Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After the attack, Japan began a massive campaign of expansion throughout the Southeast Asia-Pacific region. -
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins
Hearing that the Nazis were going to eliminate the ghetto entirely, 1,000 Jewish fighters successfully repulsed the Germans. However, the victory was short lived and Nazis soons burned down the entire building. -
D-Day
On D-Day, General Dwight Eisenhower led U.S. and Allied troops in an invasion of Normandy, France. The armies fought their way through France and Belgium and into Germany while Russian troops fought from the east. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered. -
Adolf Hitler commits suicide
Hitler and his wife Eva commit suicide in a bunker 55 ft the chancellery. -
Germany Surrenders
On May 2, 1945 Colonel General Alfred Jodl of the German army entered Allied headquarters. There he signed the terms of unconditional surrender. -
Hiroshima, Japan
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing 75,000 people instantly, and injuring more than 100,000. -
Nagasaki, Japan
A second atomic bomb is dropped in Nagasaki.
