Days of Imperial Glories: The Wakes of Empires

The Great War 1914-1918

Bolded Word: Most Important Event of the Year

Underlined Words: Significant Events

Bolded, Underlined and Italic Words: Important Declaration of Wars

Italic and Underlined: End of a War between nations

Bolded and Underlined: Important events of a War, Battles/Occupation of key cities.

1914(Start of the Great War): Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist triggering the July Crisis. Khioniya Guseva assassinates Grigori Rasputin. The Royal Naval Air Service is formed. The Kaiser announces he is unable to attend the Archduke's funeral. The Archduke's funeral is held at Artstetten Castle. USS Nevada is launched as the United State's first Super Dreadnought. The Government of Ireland Act is passed in parliament, it allows Northern Ireland to choose if they would join a home-ruled Ireland. The Signal Corps of the US Army establishes an air service. King George V reviews the British Fleet at Spithead. King George V summons a conference on the Irish Home Rule issue. Austria-Hungary gives Serbia an ultimatum. The conference on the issue of Irish Home Rule reaches a consensus, allowing Irish Home Rule to go into effect in 1918, with Northern Ireland staying with the government at Westminster. Austria-Hungary severs all diplomatic ties with Serbia. The Great War begins, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, and Tsar Nicholas II calls for partial mobilization of forces against Austria-Hungary. Goeben and Breslau escape from French Marine Nationale into Tripoli. SMS Bodrog fires the opening shots of the Great War at Belgrade. The Cape Cod Canal opens. Russia orders full mobilization. The German Empire declares war on the Russian Empire. France orders general mobilization. Germany occupies Luxembourg. Germany sends a 12-hour ultimatum towards Belgium to allow German troops through Belgium and into France. A secret treaty between Germany and the Ottoman Empire fails. Germany declares war on France. Belgium accepts the ultimatum after the persuasion of British Diplomats.  The French Republic invades Belgium. Montenegro declares war on Austria-Hungary. SMS Goben and SMS Breslau bombard French Algeria. The French Submarine, MNS Ariane torpedoes RMS Amazon after mistaking it for a German merchant ship, becoming the first attack on a merchant ship by submarines, RMS Amazon would survive the encounter and report back to the UK.  The UK demands compensation from the French Republic. The Battle of Liège has German troops overruns and defeats Belgian defenders with the first operational use of the Big Bertha howitzer. The Austro-Hungarian Empire declares war against the Russian Empire. The French attack on Elsass resulted in the Battle of Mulhouse starting the Battle of the Frontiers. The French Republic refused to compensate the United Kingdom, the UK mobilizes their armed forces in response. The United Kingdom and by extension, the Commonwealth declares war on the French Republic, triggering the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. The Russian Empire declares war on the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Ernest Shackleton starts the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition onboard the Endurance. The Empire of Japan declares war on the Entente after the UK joined the war. The Panama Canal is inaugurated with the SS Ancon. The Battle of Tannenberg starts with German troops and Russian troops engaging in battle. German forces occupy Brussels. The Battle of Rossignol resulted in a decisive French defeat. The Battle of Mons sees the first deployment of the British Expeditionary Force, starting the month-long French Great Retreat to Marne. The Battle of Tannenberg ends in the encirclement of the Russian Second Army. The Battle of the Channel Islands has British Cruisers under the command of Admiral Beatty sink 3 French cruisers, all of the Dupleix class. The Battle of St. Quentin results in a German defeat in the assault against French defenders. Saint Petersburg is renamed to Petrograd. The First Battle of the Marne starts with a French attack against German positions near Paris. HMS Pathfinder is sunk by MNS Circé, becoming the first ship sunk by a locomotive torpedo fired from a submarine. The Battle of Rawa resulted in the defeat of Austro-Hungarian forces against the Russian Empire. HMAS AE1 goes missing. The Race to the Sea begins. The Marine Nationale orders 50 more submarines. Antwerp falls to the German Empire. The Race to the Sea ends, with trenches reaching the Belgian coast, beginning the era of Trench Warfare. HMS Audacious is sunk by the MN Normandie off the coast of Brest, the Normandie would sustain fatal damage in this engagement and would be scuttled 3 hours later. The Battle of the Vistula River resulted in the defeat of German and British troops. The chase of the French Asia Squadron begins, with Admiral Graf Spee chasing the MN Jules Michelet, MN Marseillaise and MN Gloire. Cyprus is formally annexed by the UK. The Belgian Congo falls to British and German forces. Japanese and British forces seize Keelung, Penghu and Guangzhouwan from French forces. Belgrade falls to Austro-Hungarian forces. Graf Spee's forces sink the MN Jules Michelet and MN Marseillaise while fatally damaging the MN Gloire which would sink 2 hours later, SMS Scharnhorst is sunk with Admiral Graf Spee going down with her, and SMS Gneisenau is scuttled after the engagement. Eygpt becomes a British protectorate. The Battle of Kolubara ends in a Serbian victory over the Austro-Hungarian forces. Tokyo Station becomes the new railway terminal in Tokyo.