June 28, 1914 Archduke Francis Ferdinand heir to the Austria-Hungary throne and his wife are assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist in Sarejevo.
July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
July 29, 1914 Russia begins to mobilize troops.
August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on Russia
August 3, 1914 Germany declares war on France
August 4, 1914 Great Britain joins in aid of France and declares war. Canada must follow suit and joins the British in the war effort.
August 6, 1914 Austria-Hungary at war with Russia
August 7, 1914 Great Britain lands its Expeditionary Force in France to defend against the German offensive.
August 19, 1914 Canadian Parliament authorises the raising of an expeditionary force to send overseas. Valcartier Camp is constructed to give basic training to new recruits.
August 23, 1914 Japan declares war on Germany and attacks Tsingtau.
October 14, 1914 Canadian Expeditionary Force of 32,000 men land at Plymouth, England, to prepare for fighting at the Front.
April 22, 1915 Poison gas used for the first time by Germans in an attack on Canadian soldiers at Ypres.
April 23, 1915 Italy declares war on Austria and invades creating another battle front.
October 13, 1915 German Zeppelins bomb London killing 55 people and injuring more.
December 15, 1915 General Sir Douglas Haig takes Field Marshal Sir John French's position as Commander-in Chief of the British Forces in France. This also gave him control of the Canadian Forces in Europe.
February 21, 1916 Battle of Verdun commences and French soldiers take heavy losses.
April 19, 1916 President Wilson, of the U.S.A., publicly calls for the German's to stop their submarine policy of sinking all ships in enemy waters without warning.
July 1, 1916 The Somme offensive begins with 100,000 soldiers attacking out of the trenches. The British army takes its worst losses in history.
February 3, 1917 The United States, which has not yet entered the war, severs diplomatic relations with Germany.
April 6, 1917 The United States comes out of neutrality and declares war on Germany, joining the Allied effort.
April 13, 1917 Canadian troops take Vimy Ridge and the surrounding area in one of Canada's finest battles of the war.
July 31, 1917 The Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele, commences with a huge artillery barrage.
August 8, 1917 Canadian Conscription Bill passes the third reading in the Senate.
August 8, 1917 Canadian House of Commons passes the Compulsory Military Service Bill ending the promise of no conscription made by Prime Minister Borden.
October 12, 1917 Sir Robert Borden wins Canadian election with a coalition government and is returned for another term in office.
November 6, 1917 Passchendaele is captured by the Canadians after months of hard fought battle.
November 21, 1917 Tanks play their first major role in battle at Cambrai. Tanks were soon to replace cavalry as a major offensive weapon.
December 15, 1917 Armistice is signed between Germany and Russia.
April 22, 1918 Baron Von Richthofen, German ace known as the 'Red Baron', is shot down by a Canadian pilot.
April 29, 1918 General Foch is chosen as Commander-in-Chief of the entire Allied force.
June 28, 1919 The Treaty of Versailles is signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versaille, officially ending the Great War.
