Timeline Description: World War I, often called The Great War, lasted four years and involved many countries around the world. It was the war that nobody really wanted. Even though almost no progress was made on either side for years, nobody wanted it to end in defeat so they kept on fighting.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 28, 1914 | Assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo, triggering the outbreak of war. |
| August 1914 | Outbreak of War War was declared by the various countries involved. |
| October 1914 | First Battle of Ypres The first battle of Ypres - October to November |
| December 21, 1914 | Air Raids December 21, 1914 was the first German air raid on Britain |
| December 24, 1914 | Christmas Truce Soldiers on both sides initiated an unofficial Christmas truce. |
| February 04, 1915 | Blockade of Britain Germany begins using U-boats to attack British and neutral shipping. |
| April 22, 1915 | Second Battle of Ypres The second battle of Ypres lasted from April 22 to May 25 and was the first instance of poison gas use by Germany. |
| April 1915 | Gallipoli The battle of Gallipoli lasted from April to December of 1915. |
| May 07, 1915 | Sinking of the Lusitania The British liner Lusitania was sunk by German U-boats. |
| February 1916 | Verdun The battle of Verdun lasted from February to December of 1916. |
| May 31, 1916 | Jutland The naval battle of Jutland lasted from May 31 to June 1 of 1916. |
| July 1916 | Somme The battle of the Somme lasted from July to November of 1916. |
| February 01, 1917 | Submarine Warfare On February 1, 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. |
| January 16, 1917 | Zimmerman Telegram A telegram from German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico was intercepted by the U.S. The Germans wanted Mexico to declare war on the U.S. |
| March 15, 1917 | Abdication Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the throne. |
| April 06, 1917 | War Declared The U.S. declares war on Germany. |
| April 09, 1917 | Vimy Ridge The battle of Vimy Ridge lasted from April 9 to 12, 1917. |
| June 25, 1917 | U.S. Troops arrive in Europe U.S. troops began arriving in France on June 25, 1917. |
| July 16, 1917 | Ypres The third battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) began on July 16, 1917. |
| November 07, 1917 | Bolshevik Revolution The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia resulted in a Communist government. |
| December 07, 1917 | U.S. Declaration of war on Austria-Hungary The U.S. declared war on Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. |
| March 03, 1918 | Russian Peace Negotiations Soviet Russia concluded separate peace negotiations with their enemies. |
| May 1918 | U-Boats in U.S. waters U-boats appeared in U.S. waters for the first time in may of 1918. |
| November 09, 1918 | Abdication Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated the throne on November 9, 1918. |
| November 11, 1918 | Armistice The armistice was concluded, and fighting stopped at 11 am on November 11, 1918. |
| June 28, 1919 | Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. |