-
Assassination of Archduke Franz Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914, while on an official visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie are shot dead by a Bosnian Serb nationalist. -
Russia Mobilizes
Russia mobilizes its troops to defend Serbia, its Slavic ally, after Austria-Hungary declares war on it. -
Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia
The First World War officially begins on July 28, 1914, when Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, one month to the day after a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo killed Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. -
Germany Declares War on Russia
France orders a mass mobilization on August 1, 1914, and Germany declares war on Russia, four days after Austria-Hungary launched war on Serbia. In anticipation of an invasion of France, the first parts of the German army enter Luxembourg the next day. Over the course of the following three days, Austria-Hungary and Germany were opposed by Russia, France, Belgium, and Great Britain, and the German army entered Belgium. -
Germany Declares War on France
In the afternoon of August 3, 1914, two days after declaring war on Russia, Germany declares war on France, advancing a long-standing plan for a two-front conflict against France and Russia that was conceived by Alfred von Schlieffen, the former chief of staff of the German army. -
Germany Invades Belgium
Germany invades neutral Belgium as part of its advance toward France, violating Belgian neutrality and prompting Britain to declare war on Germany. -
Britain Declares War on Germany
Germany and Britain Declare War on each other -
The Battle of the Marne
In World War I, the French army and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) launched an offensive against the Germans who had invaded Belgium and northeastern France and were within 30 miles of Paris during the First Battle of the Marne, which took place from September 6–12, 1914. -
The First Battle of Ypres
The first of three fights between Allied and German forces for control of Ypres and its strategic locations on the Belgian north shore during World War I starts on October 19, 1914, close to the city. -
The Gallipoli Campaign
an unsuccessful Allied attempt to seize Constantinople, the Ottoman capital, in order to provide a sea passage to Russia. It caused significant losses, particularly for the forces of Australia, New Zealand, and the British Empire. -
The Battle of Verdun
With more than 700,000 losses on both sides, French soldiers successfully repelled the German attack on the fortified city of Verdun in one of the bloodiest and longest battles of World War I. -
The Battle of the Somme
A significant offensive by the Allies on the Western Front. It is notorious for the first time the tank was used in combat and for suffering massive losses more than a million. -
The Russian Revolution
Tsar Nicholas II abdicates as a result of the February Revolution, and a provisional government is put in place in Russia. Later, the Bolsheviks, under Lenin's leadership, take control during the October Revolution. -
The United States Enters the War
A pivotal moment in the conflict occurs when the United States declares war on Germany. Due to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram, the United States enters the war. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed in June 1919, was an agreement between the winners and losers of the First World War (1914–18) that included reparations, restrictions on armaments, and full responsibility for the war on Germany, one of the losers.