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Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six Bosnian Serb assassins coordinated by Danilo Ilić. -
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World War 1
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Germany declares war on Russia and France
When the Russians came to the defense of the Serbs, the Germans had no choice but to go to war to defend their Austrian allies. Their strategy for war against Russia was the Schefffein Plan which called for an initial attack against France, Russia's ally. So even though Germany had no dispute with France at the time, it still declared war against France. -
Battle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan. -
Germany begins submarine warfare against merchant vessels
German submarines were used to lay mines and to attack iron ore shipping in the Baltic. The British submarine flotilla in the Baltic operated in support of the Russians until the Russian-German Pact. -
Germans occupy Warsaw
The third battle of Warsaw of 5 August 1915 saw the Germans occupy Warsaw during the period of success that followed their great breakthrough victory at Gorlice-Tarnow. -
The Battle of Verdun
It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February to 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France -
Central Powers create a unified command
It was made up of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. German Empire held most power. -
The United States of America declares war on Germany
On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. On April 6, Congress granted the request and the United States was formally at war with Germany. -
Woodrow Wilson outlines his Fourteen Points
Wilson sincerely hoped the Fourteen Points outlined in his speech would form the basis of a better post-war world at upon the conclusion of "the culminating and final war for human liberty." -
Armistice Day
This official date to mark the end of the war reflects the cease fire on the Western Front, hostilities continued in other regions, especially across the former Russian Empire and in parts of the old Ottoman Empire.The date was declared a national holiday in many allied nations, to commemorate those members of the armed forces who were killed during war.