World War I Timeline of Events

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World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

Timeline of Events

1917

6.26.1917

The first U.S. troops arrive in France to fight alongside Britain, France, Italy, and Russia against Germany, and Austria-Hungary in World War I.

7.6.1917

World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt.

7.20.1917

World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.

10.12.1917

World War I: The First Battle of Passchendaele takes place resulting in the largest single day loss of life in New Zealand history.

10.15.1917

World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for the German Empire.

10.17.1917

First British bombing of Germany in World War I.

10.24.1917

Battle of Caporetto; Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat at the forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany on the Austro-Italian front of World War I (lasts until 19 November - also called Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo).

10.26.1917

World War I: Battle of Caporetto; Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat at the forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany. The young unknown Oberleutnant Erwin Rommel captures Mount Matajur with only 100 Germans against a force of over 7000 Italians.

10.31.1917

World War I: Battle of Beersheba (1917)|Battle of Beersheba

11.6.1917

World War I: Third Battle of Ypres ends: After three months of fierce fighting, Canadian forces take Passchendaele in Belgium.

11.7.1917

World War I: Third Battle of Gaza ends: British forces capture Gaza from the Ottoman Empire.

11.20.1917

World War I: Battle of Cambrai begins – British forces make early progress in an attack on German positions but are later pushed back.

12.7.1917

World War I: The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary.

1918

3.3.1918

Germany, Austria and Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending Russia's involvement in World War I, and leading to the independence of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

3.21.1918

World War I: The first phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, begins.

4.4.1918

World War I: Second Battle of the Somme ends.

4.8.1918

World War I: Actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin sell war bonds on the streets of New York City's financial district.

4.21.1918

World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, known as "The Red Baron", is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.

6.1.1918

World War I, Western Front (World War I)|Western Front: Battle for Belleau Wood

6.6.1918

World War I: Battle of Belleau Wood

6.26.1918

World War I, Eastern Front (World War I)|Western Front: Battle for Belleau Wood

7.15.1918

World War I: the Second Battle of the Marne begins near the River Marne with a German attack.

8.2.1918

Japan announces that it is deploying troops to Siberia in the aftermath of World War I.

8.8.1918

World War I: the Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous victories with a push through the German front lines (Hundred Days Offensive).

8.11.1918

World War I: the Battle of Amiens ends.

8.21.1918

World War I: The Second Battle of the Somme begins.

9.26.1918

World War I: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the bloodiest single battle in American history, begins.

9.29.1918

World War I: The Hindenburg Line is broken by Allied forces. Bulgaria signs an armistice.

10.1.1918

World War I: Arab forces under T. E. Lawrence (a/k/a "Lawrence of Arabia") capture Damascus.

10.8.1918

World War I: In the Argonne Forest in France, United States Corporal Alvin C. York leads an attack that kills 25 German soldiers and captures 132.

10.13.1918

Mehmed Talat Pasha and the Young Turk (C.U.P.) ministry resign and sign an armistice, ending Ottoman participation in World War I.

10.28.1918

World War I: Czechoslovakia is granted independence from Austria-Hungary marking the beginning of independent Czechoslovak state, after 300 years.

10.30.1918

The Ottoman Empire signs an armistice with the Allies, ending the First World War in the Middle East.

11.4.1918

World War I: Austria-Hungary surrenders to Italy.

11.11.1918

World War I: Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiègne in France. The war officially ends at 11:00 (The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) and this is annually honoured with a two-minute silence.

12.4.1918

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.

1919

1.18.1919

World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France.

4.13.1919

Eugene V. Debs enters prison at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, for speaking out against the draft during World War I.

5.8.1919

Edward George Honey first proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate The Armistice of World War I, which later results in the creation of Remembrance Day. In the United States it was called Armistice Day and is now Veterans Day.

6.21.1919

Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the German fleet in Scapa Flow, Orkney. The nine sailors killed are the last casualties of World War I.

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