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ww1
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the spark
However, disputes between the victors sparked the 33-day Second Balkan War, when Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece on 16 June 1913; it was defeated, losing most of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece, and Southern Dobruja to Romania. -
Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium. France invades Alsace. British forces arrive in France.
August 2-7, 1914, Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium. France invades Alsace. British forces arrive in France. Nations allied against Germany were eventually to include Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Rhodesia, Romania, Greece, France, Belgium, United States, Canada, Serbia, India, Portugal, Montenegro, and Poland. -
Franz Ferdinand Assasssinated
By mistake, however, the first three cars turned onto a side street right where Princip happened to be standing. As the cars attempted to reverse back onto the Appel Quay, Princip whipped out his pistol and fired two shots at the archduke from point-blank range, piercing him in the neck and also striking Sophie’s abdomen. Ferdinand murmured. Within minutes, though, both had passed away. Austria-Hungary instead declared war on July 28, 1914, exactly a month after Ferdinand’s death. -
Battle of Ypres
During 1915, the British and French undertook a series of unsuccessful attacks against the Germans on the Western Front. Apart from their one offensive at Ypres in April, the Germans spent most of the year on the defensive. But for both sides it was a tough learning experience. Germany makes its first large scale use of poison gas on the Western Front. -
German U boat sinking the British passenger liner Lusitania
The British ocean liner's demise contributed indirectly to the United States' entry into World War I. In 1915 it was sunk by a German U-boat, resulting in the death of 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. -
the Germans attacked Verdun
On 21 February 1916, the Germans attacked Verdun in what became the longest battle of the war. Nicknamed 'the mill on the Meuse', Verdun lasted for over nine months and was one of the bloodiest engagements in history. But Falkenhayn had overestimated the Germans' ability to inflict disproportionate losses. -
Germany returns to unrestricted submarine warfare halted after the sinking of the Lusitania.
The tactic was abandoned on 1 September 1915, following the loss of American lives in the torpedoed liners Lusitania and Arabic. After failing to seize control of the sea from the British at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare on 1 February 1917. -
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines began at 3:10 a.m. on June 7, 1917, when 19 of the 22 Allied mines detonated beneath the Messines Ridge. It's impossible to know how many German soldiers were killed instantly in the mushroom cloud of earth and fire that erupted from 80 feet below. -
American combat forces arrive in France.
Although the first American troops arrived in Europe in June 1917, the AEF did not fully participate at the front until October, when the First Division, one of the best-trained divisions of the AEF, entered the trenches at Nancy, France. -
U.S gets into the war?
On April 4, 1917, the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later. The United States later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. -
In a speech before Congress
In a speech before Congress on January 8, 1918, Wilson laid out his “14 Points,” an ambitious blueprint for ending World War I that emphasized “national self-determination” for both small and large nations, and included the creation of a cooperative League of Nations to peaceably resolve all future disputes. -
Russia Revolation
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: A photo of the signing of armistice between Russia and Germany on March 3, 1918. The treaty marked Russia’s final withdrawal from World War I and resulted in Russia losing major territorial holdings. -
American forces stop German attempt to cross the Marne River at Chateau-Thierry
After a major German offensive in May 1918 drove a 13-mile bulge into Allied lines, American forces rushed to hold the Marne River crossings at Chateau-Thierry. The 7th Machine Gun Battalion played a crucial role in the defense. -
American First Army attacks St. Mihiel salient.
Mihiel in which fourteen American divisions and four French divisions were tasked with breaking the German salient in the region. The attack began on September 12, 1918 and progressed so rapidly that by September 13, all of the first week's objectives had been met. Gaines' 5th Division fought so well at St. -
the signing of The Treaty of Versaille
After four years of devastating fighting, the First World War came to an end in 1919 in Versailles. The treaty, which represented “peace” for some and a “diktat” for others, also sowed the seeds of the Second World War, which would break out twenty years later.