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World War I
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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Austrian-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip. Princip was a part of the Serbian nationalist group, the Blackhand. This caused Austria-Hungary to blame Serbia as a whole for the attack. -
The Beginning of the War
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28th, 1914. This was the start of the huge global conflict we now know as World War I. Many other countries, as we know, eventually joined in. -
Battle of the Marne
The victory of the Battle of the Marne halted Germany's advance towards Paris. It was the battle that established the trenches on the Western Front. It also pushed German forces 40-50 miles back away from Paris, saving it from being captured. -
The Second Battle of Ypres
This battle is most notable for the German use of poison gas on a large scale for the first time. This was a huge advancement in military technology and marked the beginning of chemical warfare. The use of chlorine gas opened a wide hole in the Allied line, but the Germans failed to use the opportunity. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British cruise ship that a German U-boat sank. 1,200 people were killed, 128 being Americans. This was one event that turned American public opinion against Germany, but not the one that put them into the war. -
The Treaty of London
This treaty made Italy, which was initially allied with the Central Powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary, swapped sides to join the Allies after they were promised major territorial gains from the treaty. -
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun is one of the war's longest and deadliest battles. It resulted in around 400,000 French casualties and about 350,000 German casualties. France successfully defended against the Germans and won the battle. -
The Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was very important in terms of helping the Allied forces win the war. Even though it failed to have a clear winner, the British established naval dominance and they secured control of the shipping lanes, strengthening their maritime blockade. This contributed to the victory of the Allies in WWI. -
The Battle the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was an Allied attack designed to pull German troops out of the Battle of Verdun. It worked, it was an Allied victory. However, it came with a large price. The battle is most known and remembered for it's first use of tanks. This marked a huge advancement in military technology. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
On January 17th, 1917, British intelligence decrypted a code that the German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman sent to Mexico. His goal was to try to get Mexico in an alliance to fight against the US. This, along with unrestricted submarine warfare, was the tipping point for the US. -
United States Enters the War
The entry of the US in World War I was a turning point in the war. It made the defeat of Germany possible. Allies had almost exhausted their means of paying for US resources. The US entering gave them many more resources that the Allies needed. By the end of the war, more than 4 million Americans had served in the army. -
the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was Russia's withdrawal from World War I. It took German forces off the Eastern front line and lots of territory away from Russia. Since German troops no longer had to be on the Eastern Front, they were sent to the Western Front, increasing the number of German forces on the Western Front. -
Armistice
Armistice was the official end to fighting in World War I. It took place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, November 11, 1918. Though the fighting was over, the war was not done yet. Things still had to be resolved in the continent of Europe. -
Paris Peace Conference
People sent from Allied powers met to negotiate post-war settlements, which led to the Treaty of Versailles. This also led to other treaties that redrew national boundaries resulting in the creation of new nations. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the official end to World War I. It was signed on June 28th, 1919. The treaty was the reason 9 new nations arose. This led to heavy consequences and reparations on Germany's end. Many Germans, no matter what they believed politically, didn't agree with it and some historians think it was a major cause of World War II. -
The League of Nations
As a part of the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations was an international organization that was created to prevent future conflicts. It ultimately failed due to the absense of key powers such as the US.