THE GREAT WAR
The Great War, World War 1, all began with a man, being a man, trying to show off his wife. The Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, of Austria, decided to participate in a parade with his wife in Sarajevo. Little did he know there was going to be a group of Serbian assassins there trying to kill him. After the Archduke thwarted the first assassination attempt by throwing a bomb, that had been thrown into his car, behind him he and his wife were shot by another terrorist.
- Austria then declares war on Serbia on July 28, 1914.
- Russia, ally of Serbia, mobilizes her army.
- Germany, ally of Austria, declares war on Russia on August 1, 1914.
- France, ally of Russia, is pulled into the conflict.
- Germany attacks neutral Belgium to get to Paris, France
- Britain, ally of France and Belgium, declares war on Germany on August 4, 1914.
- Japan, ally of Britain, declares war on Germany on August 23, 1914.
- Italy, ally of Austria and Germany, decides not to act and in May 1915 joins the allied forces.
- U.S., after years of remaining neutral, joins the allied forces on April 6, 1917