About WWI

Late this morning, two shots rang out from a street corner in the center of this city, mortally wounding the archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Sophie

When World War I began in July 1914, Italy was a partner in the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but decided to remain neutral.

The Hundred Days Offensive was a series of attacks by the Allied troops at the end of World War I.

During the course of the Paris Peace Conference, three treaties were signed with members of the former Central Powers, with two additional treaties finalized after the official closing of the confe

In his war address to Congress on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson spoke of the need for the United States to enter the war in part to “make the world safe for democracy.” Almost a year late

Indelibly tied to Americans, “Doughboys” became the most enduring nickname for the troops of General John Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces, who traversed the Atlantic to join war weary Alli

On March 1, 1917, the American public learned about a German proposal to ally with Mexico if the United States entered the war.

On May 7, 1915, the passenger liner Lusitania was sunk by German submarine U-20 in British waters. Of the passengers, 1,198 drowned, including many women and children and 124 U.S.

At the outset of World War I, women in the United States did not have the right to vote in national elections and could not serve in the military.

On Nov. 11, 1918, after more than four years of horrific fighting and the loss of millions of lives, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. 

Formally opened on Jan. 18, 1919, the Paris Peace Conference was the international meeting that established the terms of peace after World War I. 

This interactive map shows you which countries and territories were involved in the Great War and how they were aligned.

How long did World War I last? Who fought whom? Journey through the story of the Great War with our Interactive WWI Timeline, covering the world events of 1914‑1920.