Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Born in 1863, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was the Prince of Hungary and Bohemia. He was the oldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, with two younger siblings by the name of Franz Joseph and Maximillian.

Austria Declares War

A union between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, they were considered a powerful union in their prime. The loss suffered in 1918 after their defeat in World War 1 led to many things, including the signing of the Armistice of Villa Giusti which ended the conflict for the Empire.

Battle of Jutland

Commander of the German High Seas Fleet Reinhard Scheer returned to an old policy of attacking ships along the British cost while he was in a defensive position. His coding method was considered secure and kept his ship safe from the main British battle fleet

Battle of Tannenberg

If General Prittwitz was allowed to go through with this command for withdrawing the German forces, Russia would have surely taken control of Prussia and the railways. Helmuth von Moltke the Younger made a decision that gave the Germans a huge victory in the early beginnings of World War 1.

Battle of the Somme

If snow had not intervened to stop the Battle of Somme, the British and French could have very well won in the end. The battle served its purpose regardless, and allowed the French to defend Verdun from German control.

Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun should have been won by the Germans, but the French forces held strong. Both sides suffered heavy losses as a result, completely changing how the rest of the war was approached.

First Battle of the Marne

The battle could have went in Germany’s favor if help hadn’t showed up in time, and would have been assured if Joseph Jacques Cesaire Joffre didn’t put the original plan in motion. France and Britain delayed a very strong attack in a crucial part of the war.

Germany Invades Belgium

Germany was originally part of the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, and was known back then as The Kingdom of Germany. This was in 962, and is a far cry from the reunification in 1990 that combined the German Democratic Republic with the Federal Republic of Germany to make them into the superpower that they are today.

Second Battle of the Marne

The Second Battle of the Marne was considered the last major offensive on the part of the Germans in World War 1. The choice to attempt to retake Marne a second time came late in the war when it was clear they had lost ground, and also the war. Securing Marne would be a huge tide in turning the war back in their favor.

Sinking of the Lusitania

The Lusitania started out in New York being filled with the usual assortment of supplies that an ocean liner was known for. This included medical supplies, cheese, copper, machinery, meat and other miscellaneous items

US Declares War

The U.S. entering the war made for a very powerful member of the Allied forces, joining an already extensive list of countries. The combined forces were enough to turn the tide of World War 1 decisively against the Germans.

USSR withdraws from the War

The U.S.S.R was one of the first countries to pull out of the Allied forces, and it wasn’t that far apart from when the U.S. joined the war. Russia’s withdrawal was due to exhausted forces in an already prolonged World War I. Peace talks were already ongoing but stalled due to disagreements in the Brest-Litovsk Peace Talks, resulting in Bolshevist Foreign Minister Leon Trotsky to walk away from peace negotiations.

World War 1 Ends

The end of World War I (4 years from July 28th 1914-November 11th 1918) was not without its casualties, and in the end the 4 year war claimed the life of over 9 million soldiers and 7 million innocent civilians.

Changes in Warfare

World War I made many changes to modern warfare that are still in use today. Before “The Great War,” individual countries fought each other for territory or resources.

Christmas Truce

In the early year of World War I, the armies were still trying to work out how to fight this new type of war. The last few months of 1914 found armies deeply entrenched in battlefields across Europe. After a few weeks of intense fighting, The English and French dug trenches to defend the land they had won. The Germans had their own trenches not far away.

Post World War 1 and Treaties

World War I ended on June 28, 1919 with the Treaty of Versailles. A treaty is an agreement between two countries. France played a large role in setting the terms of the treaty. The terms made many demands on Germany that played a key role in shaping the future and even set the stage for World War II.

Tanks of World War One

During the First World War, armies on both sides used tanks to change how soldiers went to war. Tanks were not a new idea. In ancient Rome, armies used heavy wagons and siege engines to protect soldiers during battle. In the middle ages, many used wagons banded in iron. These protected men and gold during war or travel. However, as people invented other war machines, they left these older inventions behind. Canon allowed soldiers to attack from a distance. Soldiers riding horses were much more maneuverable than early tanks.

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

World War I, was also called “The Great War.” It began in 1914. The three biggest countries involved were Germany, France and England in the beginning.

World War One Aircraft

World War I saw the rise of airplanes as weapons of war. What was funny was that generals on both sides thought that airplanes would do nothing to change warfare at all.

Allied Powers

The war was fought between two main groups of countries: the Allied Powers against the Central Powers.

Three countries were the original members of the Allied Powers. They entered into an agreement in 1907 in part due to their fears of Germany’s growth as a powerful nation

America in World War I

At the outbreak of war, the United States of America (“America”) stated that it would remain neutral. This was despite a strong relationship with many Allied Powers.

Causes of World War I

The relationship had been tense between many European countries in the years before. Most had not forgiven each other for past rivalries, as they looked to become more powerful than their neighbors. In fact, the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand may have been the tipping point towards a war that had been brewing for years.

Central Powers

The Central Powers were given this name because they were located in the center of the other great powers. They had the Russian Empire to the east, and France and the British Empire to the west.

Trench Warfare

Trench warfare describes fighting that occurs in deep trenches. These are dug into land both to protect the soldiers and also making it difficult for the opposing army to attack. Fighting in these trenches usually protects soldiers with from bullets and most artillery shells.

World War One Timeline

World War One was a war involving many countries around the world. This was unusual, as was the length of this war, and the number of deaths and amount of damage caused. It was also called the Great War

David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George was born on January 17, 1863 in Manchester England. His father was a local headmaster of a school and passed away early in young David’s life.

Ferdinand Foch

Born in the city of Tarbes, France on October 2, 1851; Ferdinand Foch was the son of a barrister. The religious faith of young Ferdinand was Roman Catholic Growing up young Ferdinand was a great listener and admirer of his maternal grandfather. This predecessor of the young Foch was involved heavily in the militaristic era of Napoleon.

Generals of World War One

One of the most known generals of WWI was Zivojin Misic of Serbia. He was born on January 19, 1855. He would serve in the military from 1877-1918, just to the end of WWI. He was a renowned instructor at the Military Academy I from 1898-1904 in the area of warfare and strategy.

Georges Clemenceau

Georges Clemenceau was born on September 28, 1841 in Mouilleron-en-Pareds Vendee, France. His father was Benjamin Clemenceau, a physician by name but was not a regular practicing one. His father however was very active in political activism. The

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Kaiser Wilhelm II was born in January, 1859 in Potsdam Germany. His given name was Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert. His parents were Fredrick III of Germany Future Empress Victoria. His mother was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of England. Although he was born in Germany, his mother sought to establish a love of England in the young royal.

Lord Kitchener

Horatio Herbert Kitchener was born on June 24, 1850 in Ballylongford, Ireland. He was the son of Lt. Colonel Henry Kitchener. This was a period of time when amazing things were happening around the globe.

Paul von Hindenburg

Paul von Hindenburg was born on October 2, 1847 in Prussia. His given name was Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (say that 3 times fast). His father was of aristocracy (Junker) as a Prussian officer.

The Red Baron

The man known as the Red Baron of WWI was born Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen in Breslau, Lower Silesia (now known as Wroclaw, Poland) on May 2, 1892.

Tsar Nicholas II

Tsar Nicholas II was born May 18, 1868 near the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. His given name at birth was Nickolai Aleksandrovich Romanov and was the eldest son of Alexander Alexandrovich. His father was also heir to the throne of Russia. His mother, Maria Feodorovna was from the country of Denmark. His mother was constantly doting on her children and made sure they enjoyed a loving home environment.

Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin was born in what was then known then as Simbirsk, Russia on April 10, 1870. His given name was Ulianov and was the son of Ilia Nikolaevich Ulianov.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was chosen as one of the most influential leaders of all time. He was the prime minister of Britain during World War II and was also involved in the government during World War I. Churchill was a leader, a historian, a writer and a painter. He even won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953.

Woodrow Wilson

One of the most influential and notable characters of WWI was President Woodrow Wilson.

Woodrow Wilson was born December 28, 1856 in Staunton, Virginia. Woodrow was a middle name as his first name was Thomas.