The world in
What happened in 1914?
40 events across 8 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- U-boat campaign
During World War I, the Imperial German Navy waged a submarine campaign against Allied trade routes, primarily in the waters around the British Isles and the Mediterranean. Germany sought to cut off Britain's overseas supplies with U-boats in response to the Royal Navy's blockade, making this a key part of the Atlantic theatre.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- World War I
World War I was a global military conflict fought from 1914 to 1918 between the Allies and the Central Powers. The war was primarily waged in Europe but extended to the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific, causing tens of millions of casualties and witnessing the large-scale use of new weapons. The conflict directly led to the collapse of the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman empires.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- First Battle of the Marne
From 5 to 12 September 1914, fighting along the Marne in northeastern France saw the French, supported by the British Expeditionary Force, check the German advance. Exploiting a gap between German armies, the French Fifth Army and British elements forced the German high command to order a general retreat, ending the early-war pursuit.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Tannenberg
From 26 to 30 August 1914, in the opening phase of World War I, Germany and Russia fought the Battle of Tannenberg. The German Eighth Army encircled and nearly destroyed Russia’s Second Army, and its commander, Alexander Samsonov, took his own life.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Liège
The Battle of Liège, fought in August 1914, was the opening engagement of the German invasion of Belgium and the first battle of the First World War. The city was defended by a ring of modern fortresses, and the fighting lasted around ten days until the last fort surrendered. The Belgian resistance delayed the German advance, allowing the Allies time to mobilize and prepare their defenses, and prompted Britain to enter the war due to the violation of Belgian neutrality.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- First Battle of Ypres begins
From October to November 1914, the First Battle of Ypres was fought around Ypres, Belgium, on the Western Front, involving German forces against Allied British, French, and Belgian troops. The battle was the culmination of the Race to the Sea, marking the end of mobile warfare on the Western Front and the beginning of trench warfare.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Galicia
In the early stages of World War I, the Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary fought a major battle on the Eastern Front. Occurring in 1914, the battle involved over two million soldiers along a 400-kilometer front. After initial successes, the Austro-Hungarian armies were severely defeated and forced out of Galicia, while the Russians captured Lemberg and ruled Eastern Galicia for about nine months. The battle exposed weaknesses of the Austro-Hungarian army and was one of Russia's formidable victories.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes took place in September 1914 in East Prussia. As part of the German Eastern Front offensive, Hindenburg's 8th Army pushed back Rennenkampf's Russian 1st Army and ejected it from German territory. This followed the destruction of the Russian 2nd Army at Tannenberg, with rapid movements aided by railways, but the arrival of the Russian 10th Army on the German right flank hindered further progress.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Siege of Przemyśl
During the First World War, Russian forces began the investment of the Austro-Hungarian fortress of Przemyśl on 16 September 1914. The siege was briefly lifted on 11 October due to an Austro-Hungarian offensive, then resumed on 9 November. The garrison surrendered on 22 March 1915, after a total of 133 days. It was one of the longest sieges of the war and a severe defeat for Austria-Hungary.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Stallupönen
The Battle of Stallupönen on August 17, 1914, was the opening battle of World War I on the Eastern Front. German forces under Hermann von François launched a successful counterattack against numerically superior but disjointed Russian divisions. Despite this tactical victory, the Russians continued their advance into East Prussia, and the Germans withdrew to Gumbinnen.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Cer
The Battle of Cer was a military engagement in the early stages of the First World War, fought in August 1914 around Cer Mountain and nearby areas in Serbia. The battle took place between Austria-Hungary and Serbia and lasted for several days. Serbian forces successfully repelled the Austro-Hungarian offensive, achieving the first Allied victory of the war and influencing the early phase of the Serbian Campaign.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Siege of Antwerp
From 28 September to 10 October 1914, German forces besieged the fortified city of Antwerp, Belgium. Before the encirclement, Belgian troops launched three counterattacks to delay German reinforcements to the French front, buying time for Allied forces to race to the sea and secure the coastal ports.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Ottoman-German Alliance Formed
On August 2, 1914, the German Empire and the Ottoman Empire ratified an alliance in Constantinople, aiming to strengthen the Ottoman military and provide Germany passage to British colonies. The treaty was secretly concluded shortly after the outbreak of World War I.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Establishment of Prowse Point Military Cemetery
Prowse Point Military Cemetery is a First World War burial ground maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, situated in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front in Belgium. Designed by William Cowlishaw, it covers approximately 4,020 square meters and lies near Ploegsteert Wood.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Establishment of the Assevent French-German War Cemetery
The Assevent French-German War Cemetery was established in the commune of Assevent, Nord department, France, to bury soldiers who died during the First World War. It contains the graves of 1,819 soldiers.
- Establishment of Strand Military Cemetery
Strand Military Cemetery, located in Ploegsteert, Belgium, was established for Commonwealth soldiers who died in World War I. Designed by Charles Holden and William Cowlishaw, it is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and covers about 4562 m².
- Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetery
Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth war cemetery in Ploegsteert Wood, West Flanders, Belgium, managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It contains the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front during the First World War. The cemetery grounds were granted in perpetuity to the United Kingdom by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the British Empire's sacrifices in the defence and liberation of Belgium.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Establishment of Rifle House Cemetery
Rifle House Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground in Comines-Warneton, West Flanders, Belgium, containing the graves of British soldiers who died on the Western Front during the First World War. The site was granted to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the British Empire's sacrifices in the defence and liberation of Belgium.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of the Frontiers begins
The Battle of the Frontiers began in August 1914 as a series of major engagements on the Western Front of World War I. French commander Joffre and German commander Moltke the Younger implemented Plan XVII and the Schlieffen-Moltke Plan respectively. Fighting occurred along the Franco-German border and southern Belgium. The French forces were eventually forced to retreat.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Gumbinnen
The Battle of Gumbinnen took place on 20 August 1914 as an early engagement on the Eastern Front of the First World War. The German Imperial Army launched an offensive against the Russian forces, but due to its hasty execution, the attack failed and the Russians emerged victorious.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Charleroi
A battle of the First World War's Battle of the Frontiers, fought from 21 to 23 August 1914 near Charleroi, Belgium, along the Sambre River. The French Fifth Army planned to attack but was preempted by the German Second and Third Armies, forcing a retreat from the river. The Germans nearly cut off the French retreat by crossing the Meuse near Dinant, but French counterattacks and the redirection of the Third Army northwest to support the Second Army saved the French from encirclement.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Construction of the Church of Colònia Güell Begins
In 1908, construction began on the Church of Colònia Güell, designed by Antoni Gaudí, for the company town founded by Count Eusebi de Güell near Barcelona. Work halted in 1914 upon the count's death, with only the lower nave completed; it was finished and readied for use between 1915 and 1917.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Battle of Tanga
On 3–5 November 1914, the British Indian Expeditionary Force 'B' under Major-General Arthur Aitken attacked the port of Tanga in German East Africa, while Force 'C' simultaneously advanced on Longido. This was the first major engagement of the East African campaign in World War I. Despite numerical superiority, Aitken's troops were defeated by a smaller German Schutztruppe force under Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and forced to retreat. The Germans captured weapons, medical supplies, and several Maxim guns, which helped sustain their resistance against the Allies for the remainder of the war.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Maritz Rebellion
The Maritz rebellion was an armed pro-German insurrection in South Africa in 1914, at the start of World War I, led by Boers supporting the re-establishment of the South African Republic. Many government members were themselves Boers who had fought with the rebels against the British in the Second Boer War. The rebellion was suppressed, and its surviving leaders received heavy fines and prison terms, with one executed.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- South West Africa campaign begins
In September 1914, the South West Africa campaign, a key part of the African theatre of World War I, began. British and South African forces swiftly advanced into German South West Africa, capturing the capital Windhoek in May 1915 and securing German surrender in July. Led by South African Prime Minister Louis Botha, the campaign ended German colonial rule in the region, leading to South African administration until independence as Namibia in 1990.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Outbreak of the East African Campaign in World War I
In 1914, as World War I broke out, a series of battles erupted in East Africa between the German Empire and the British, Belgian, and Portuguese Entente. The fighting began on the borders of German East Africa and later spread to Portuguese Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda, and the Belgian Congo. German forces under Lieutenant-Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck waged a prolonged guerrilla campaign, surrendering only on 23 November 1918.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Togoland campaign
The Togoland campaign was the French and British invasion of German Togoland in August 1914, marking the start of the West African campaign of World War I. German forces withdrew inland, staging delaying actions around the Kamina radio station before capitulating on 26 August. Togoland became the first German colony seized by the Allies and was later partitioned between Britain and France.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Kamerun campaign
A First World War African theatre campaign in which British, French and Belgian forces invaded the German colony of Kamerun from August 1914 to March 1916. Most fighting occurred within Kamerun, with skirmishes in British Nigeria. By spring 1916, Allied victories forced most German troops and civil administrators to flee into neutral Spanish Guinea. The campaign ended in German defeat and the partition of its former colony between France and Britain.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central & South America
- Planning and commencement of the Panama Canal
The initial planning and construction of the massive Panama Canal began in the early 20th century. The canal was designed to cut across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The project included constructing a lock system to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial freshwater lake. The entire undertaking was one of the most challenging engineering feats of its time.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Banana Wars
Between 1898 and 1934, the United States carried out a series of military occupations, police actions, and interventions in Central America and the Caribbean. These operations were primarily conducted by the United States Marine Corps, which compiled the Small Wars Manual (1921) based on its experiences.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of the Falkland Islands
The Battle of the Falkland Islands, fought on 8 December 1914 in the South Atlantic, was a decisive British naval victory over Germany during the First World War. In retaliation for the defeat at Coronel, the British dispatched a superior force that annihilated Vice-Admiral von Spee's East Asia Squadron, ending the German surface threat to British commerce. The battle is commemorated as a public holiday in the Falkland Islands.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Coronel
On 1 November 1914, during World War I, the German East Asia Squadron defeated a British Royal Navy squadron off Coronel, Chile. The Germans were led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee, the British by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock. It was the Royal Navy's first defeat since 1812, causing a significant shock.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North America
- Mexican Revolution
A prolonged armed conflict among factions in Mexico from 1910 to 1920, aiming to end dictatorship, culminating in a constitution and a constitutional republic. It caused around one million deaths and profoundly transformed Mexican culture and government.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Opening of the Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater opened in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City as a multi-use performance venue. Designed by George Keister in the neoclassical style, it seats approximately 1,500. The theater later became a major stage for African American performers and a symbol of Black music from the 1940s onward.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
North Africa
- Rif War begins
In 1921, armed conflict broke out between Spain and Berber tribes of the Rif region in northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, Rifian forces used guerrilla tactics and captured Western weaponry to repeatedly defeat Spanish troops. France intervened in 1925, escalating the war, which ended with the surrender of the Rifian resistance.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Outbreak of the French conquest of Morocco
In 1907, France began its conquest of the Sultanate of Morocco by occupying Oujda on 29 March. Subsequent military campaigns led to the Treaty of Fes in 1912, establishing the French protectorate, while pacification operations continued until 1934.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
West Asia
- Caucasus campaign
The Caucasus campaign was a series of armed conflicts between the Ottoman and Russian Empires in the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia during World War I, part of the Middle Eastern theatre. After the Russian Revolution, other entities including Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Central Caspian Dictatorship, and the British Empire became involved, with fighting continuing until the armistice in 1918. Naval operations also took place in the Black Sea.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Sarikamish
Part of the Caucasus campaign of World War I, the battle between Russian and Ottoman forces took place from December 1914 to January 1915 at Sarikamish. The Russians won, inflicting a heavy defeat on the Ottoman Empire.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
East Asia
- Siege of Tsingtao
The Siege of Tsingtao was a joint attack by Japan and the United Kingdom on the German-controlled port of Qingdao in Jiaozhou Bay during the early stages of World War I. Lasting from 27 August to 7 November 1914, it was the first engagement between Japanese and German forces, the first Anglo-Japanese operation of the war, and the only major land battle in the Asian and Pacific theatre.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Central Asian steppe
- Babur Theater in Osh, the oldest professional theater in Kyrgyzstan
The Babur Theater in Osh is the oldest professional theater in Kyrgyzstan and the second oldest in Central Asia. Located in the city of Osh, it is a key venue for Uzbek music and drama, named after the Central Asian historical figure Babur. The theater holds a pioneering role in the development of performing arts in Kyrgyzstan.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Around 1914
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins
- Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'
- Establishment of the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains
- Designation of the Maotianshan Shales member and type section