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The beginning
June 29, 1914 - The archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Also along with his wife. Franz Ferdinand was heir to Austria-Hungary's throne. The two were killed by Serbian nationalist, Gavrillo Princip. The couple were visiting Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/wwi-throwback-reliving-moments-leading-to-the-great-war/article19361566/ -
Germany declares war on Russia
August 1, 1914 - Germany and Russia declare war on each other because Germany is allied with Austria-Hungary and Russia is allied with Serbia. The same day France orders a general mobilization to prepare for the war, as they are allied with Russia. Germany had warned Russia to halt mobilization, but they didn't, so they declared war on them. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-world-war-erupts-in-europe -
World War 1
August 4, 1914 - A few days after Germany declared war on Russia. Germany declares war on Germany. Germany invades Belgium in Luxembourg, beginning World War 1. Germany takes victory on October 31, 1914. -
Germans Fire
April 22, 1915 - The German fire shells filled with chlorine gas at allied lines. This is the first time gas was used in a battle. The results made the french collapse. However the Germans were unable to take advantage of them. -
Germans Fire
The Germans fire shells filled with chlorine gas at Allied lines. This is the first time that gas was used in battle, and the result is the near-collapse of the French lines. However, the Germans are unable to take advantage of the breach. -
Lusitania Sinks
The Lusitania sinks. A German submarine sinks the passenger liner Lusitania. The ship carries 1,198 people, 128 of them Americans. The Lusitania was a British ocean liner. This caused an outrage. -
Germany limits submarines
September 18, 1915 - Reacting to the outrage at the sinking of the Lusitania, Kaiser Wilhelm suspends unrestricted submarine welfare. This is an attempt to keep the United States out of the war. This hampers German efforts to prevent American supplies from reaching France and Britain. -
Zimmerman Telegram
February 25, 1917 - British gives Wilson the Zimmerman Telegram, a message from German secretary Arthur Zimmerman. Mexico side with Germany in case of war between Germany and the United States. In return, Germany promises to return to Mexico the "lost provinces" of Texas and much of the rest of the American Southwest. Mexico declines the offer, but the outrage at this pushes American public to support coming into the war. -
U.S. Enters War
Congress authorizes a declaration of war against Germany. The United States enters World War I on the side of France and Britain. This was under the command of major general John j. Perish. Many people were not in favor of this as they wanted the U.S. to stay neutral. -
Direction
"When the united states declared war against Germany and the axis in April 1917, I was in California with my mother, father and sister. and as soon as I understood what it really meant I began to wonder what part I was to take in this conflict. Training camps were being opened in different places. I decided to see action with as little delay as possible and be an officer when the time came." -
Riley Harold
" Dad's health was much worse than I had thought it to be. (diabetes ). After talking to both mother and dad, decided to go through with my plan. If I stayed home I would be unable to do anything to make it easier for my father, and financially the family was taken care of. war was war and while neither mother or dad wanted to see me leave they would not stand in the way, and wanted me to do my duty." -
The ship
" everything had been arranged except for my ticket to France. 'The Chicago' was supposed to sail at 10:00 a.m. in the morning but it was evening before it left the dock we went down the river. We were an excited crowd of boys as we sailed but had we known what was ahead we would have been less excited and more thoughtful." -
Germany and Russia at peace
The Germans sign a peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government of Russia. The terms of the treaty give Germany lots of land that had been the Ukraine and Poland, and peace on the Eastern Front allows Germany to shift soldiers to the Western Front, causing serious problems for the French, British, and Americans. -
Man down
"I believed that the excitement and thrills of military action could be better appreciated from close contact, with real fighting." He became a pilot in the newly formed Army Air Corps, dropping leaflets behind enemy lines and scouting for ground troop movements. In October 1918, his plane was shot down, and his observer, Sam Keesler, was killed. Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi was later named for him. -
Wilhelm Abdicates
Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates, ending all German hope for a victory. He and his retinue quietly slip over the border into the Netherlands where he lives out the rest of his life in peace and writes a self-promoting memoir defending his actions in the war.
