The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in June 1914 by a Serbian nationalist and the Austria-Hungary war on Serbia were the catalysts that led to World War I; resulting in over 16 million dead and over 20 million wounded it is one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.
 
After Germany invaded neutral Belgium in August, Britain declared war on Germany as they had previously promised to protect Belgium and the thought of German troops across the channel was to close for comfort. Along with French troops, they were successful in achieving their objectives at the Battle of Mons in August and the Battle of the Marne in September. Deep trenches were dug all along Northern France and the Swiss border, which along with the machine gun and the ‘race to the sea’ meant that it was easier to defend than to attack so within months of starting the war was beginning to stagnate.
 
When Japan joined the Allies and the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, it truly became a ‘World War’ and the situation was only aggravated by competing power-blocs in Africa and South America. While it was definitely a World War, the war in Europe and the Battle of Ypres (October) was the main focus of the conflict. This was the first continental war that had not been confined to land due to the arms race focused on building the most up to date battleships and by December the German fleet were regularly bombing the English coast