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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Ferdinand and his wife were shot by a teenage Serbian nationalist as they were driving along the streets in their car. -
Great War Begins
The beginning of the war was triggered by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. -
Kaiser Declares "open season" on Ships
Kaiser Wilhelm announced Germany’s intention to sink any and all ships sailing under the flags of Britain, Russia or France found within British waters. Germany uses U-boats to sink ships. -
Lusitania Sank
The Lusitania was a civilian ship that was carrying Americans on board. It was sank by a German U-boat. -
Battle of the Somme
The first battle of World War I. This battle was fought between the British and French empires and the German empires. -
Wilson Re-elected
Woodrow Wilson was re-elected president by using the motto, “He kept us out of the war,” as a campaign slogan. -
Zimmerman Note Intercepted
The Zimmerman Note (telegram) gets intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence. The telegram offers significant financial aid to Mexico if they agree to become an ally with Germany. -
US Declares War on Germany
The U.S. declared war on Germany after finding out about the Zimmerman telegraph that was sent from Germany to Mexico asking them to form an alliance against America. -
Selective Service Act
Allowed the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into World War I through the compulsary enlistment of people. -
Espionage Age Passed
This is a federal law which was passed shortly after the United States entered World War I. It provided penalties of 20 years imprisonment and fines up to $10,000 for those convicted of interfering with military recruitment. -
Flu Epidemic
The flu epidemic of 1918 killed more people than World War I. Between 20 and 40 million people died because of it. This epidemic has been recorded as the most devasting in all of history. -
Fourteen Points Speech
President Wilson delivered this speech to Congress in 1918. In his speech, Wilson talked about 14 different strategies to ensure national security and world peace. -
Russia Pulls Out of the War
The Russian military experienced bad outcomes from the beginning of the war and finally decided to pull out of it. Two primary reasons they did this was because of major military rivals and political changes. -
Sedition Act Passed
This was an act of the United States congress that extended the Espionage Act. It was designed to protect America's participation in World War I. -
Convoy System
The convoy system was a system in which ships decided to travel together in order to be safer and have more protection -
Germany Signs Armistice
The armistice (an agreement to stop fighting) was signed by France, Brittain, and Germany bringing 4 years of fighting in the first world war to an end.
