1. The Domino that Started World War I

2. On June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary and his wife went on a state visit to Sarajevo, which is located in the country currently known as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

3. On June 28, 1914 Shortly after leaving the town hall, the unthinkable happened The Emperor was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Serbian terrorist group The Black Hand

4. Austria-Hungary’s Reaction Austria-Hungary’s government demanded that Serbia take full responsibility for the incident, and to condemn anyone who took part in it. In effect, the government of Austria-Hungary was telling Serbia how to run it’s country!

5. Serbia’s Reaction Serbia replied “No Thank You” in the nicest possible way, leading to the fall of the first domino…

6. Austria-Hungary Declares War! On July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

7. Treaty says.. Russia, bound by a treaty with Serbia, declared war on Austria-Hungary on July 29, 1914 Germany, allied to Austria-Hungary by treaty, declares war on Russia on August 1, 1914

8. And so on….. France, bound by treaty to Russia, declares war on August 3, 1914 Great Britain (including her colonies of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa) allied to France declares war on August 4, 1914

9. And so on….. Japan, honoring an agreement with Great Britain declares war on Germany on August 23, 1914. Austria-Hungary responds by declaring war on Japan two days later. Italy joined the conflict in May, 1915 on the side of the Allies.

10. The United States stayed out of the fray, for awhile at least.. President Woodrow Wilson declared a policy of absolute neutrality. This would remain the official stance of the United States until 1917.