World War I and declarations thereof

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson outlined the case for declaring war upon Germany in a speech to the joint houses of Congress on 2 April 1917.

A formal declaration of war followed four days later, on 6 April 1917.


United States President Woodrow Wilson declared a U.S. policy of absolute neutrality, an official stance that would last until 1917 when Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare - which seriously threatened America's commercial shipping (which was in any event almost entirely directed towards the Allies led by Britain and France) - forced the U.S. to finally enter the war on 6 April 1917.

Using this link, be able to chronicle events that led to the Great War.

Other declarations:

"Hun" was a slang term used by the allies, to describe the Germans. "Boche" was another.

"Coffin Nails" was a term used by British soldiers to describe cigarettes.

A "pal's battalion" was comprised of soldiers raised in the same locality with the promise they would serve with their friends for the duration of the war.


The USA suffered 57,476 fatal army casualties during the war.

It is estimated that there were around 37.5 million total casualties of the First World War out of 65 million troops mobilised. Up to 10 million are said to have died.

"Suicide Ditch" was a term used by British soldiers to refer to the front-line trench.

A howitzer is any short cannon that delivers its shells in a high trajectory. The word is derived from an old German word for "catapult".

from http://www.firstworldwar.com/