Major Events

The spark that began World War I happened on June 28th, 1914 when the Archduke of Austria, Francis Ferdinand what assassinated by a Serbian rebel.  This let loose a torrent of events.  In response, Austria Hungary blamed Serbia for the murders of the archduke and made harsh demand in Serbia.  Serbia refused to comply with any of the demands.  Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28th.  Russia, a Slavic nation and a friend of Serbia, mobilized its forces in preparation for war.  Germany, an ally of Austria Hungary, declared war on Russia.  Germany also declared war on France, an ally of Russia.  On August 3, 1914 Germany invaded Belgium in order to more easily enter France.  Britain, an ally of France declares war on Germany.
The two opposing sides in the war were the Central Powers (Germany Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allied Powers (Britain, France, and Russia).  Italy would later join the allies.  There were three major fronts in Europe where fighting occurred.  The Western Front extended across Belgium and northeastern France to the border of Switzerland.  The Eastern Front ran from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.  The Southern Front ran between Italy and Austria-Hungary.  Fighting also took place in Africa and the Middle East.  For four years, a virtual stalemate ensued as each side "dug in" for the long haul.
Finally, in 1917 a major break came to the allies.  Although the U.S. had allowed American ships to carry supplies to the Allies, the country had tried to remain neutral in the war.  In 1917 however, Germany used unrestricted submarine warfare, meaning that it attacked any ships on the Atlantic, even if they were carrying American passengers.  This policy brought the U.S. into the war in April.  Despite the fact that the Russians would back out of the war less than a year later due to political revolution at home, the U.S. entry would prove to be enough to put the allies over the top.  Finally, on November 11, 1918 an armistice was declared.

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