Timeline August 1914

Events in August 1914 14

• 1835 – 1914 Pope Pius X (1835-1914) Died 20 August 1914, aged 79 Born Giuseppe Sarto, Pius X reigned as Pope from 1903 and was known for promoting frequent Communion and opposing theological modernism. He died shortly after the outbreak of the war he had tried to avert. He was later canonized in 1954.
• 1914 The Rape of Belgium Invasion and atrocity Germany's invasion and the destruction of Leuven's library and other atrocities shock the world and become a rallying cry for the Allied cause.
• 1914 US Championships 1914 Men: Richard Williams · Women: Mary Browne
• 1914 Germany declares war on Russia Berlin, Germany Crowds cheered in the capitals. Almost everyone expected the war to be over by Christmas.
• 1914 – present Swiss National Park Conservation Pioneer The first national park in the Alps and Central Europe, focused on total nature protection.
• 1914 Ottoman entry into WWI -- the German alliance The Ottoman decision to ally with Germany (secret treaty of 2 August 1914, active belligerency from 29 October 1914) is the most consequential and most debated decision in Ottoman history. Enver Pasha drives the decision, believing that only a German victory can reverse the Balkan Wars' territorial losses and restore Ottoman power. The CUP government harbours German warships (Goeben and Breslau) in Istanbul and allows them to bombard Russian Black Sea ports -- forcing Russia, Britain and France to declare war. The decision proves catastrophic: the empire fights simultaneously against Russia, Britain, France and (later) Arab revolt, and loses.
• 1914 Germany declares war on France Berlin, Germany Edward Grey watched the lamps being lit outside the Foreign Office and said they were going out all over Europe.
• 1914 – 1918 German invasion & WWI Neutrality violated Germany invades neutral Belgium in August 1914, triggering British entry into the First World War. Much of the war on the Western Front is fought on Belgian soil, including Ypres.
• 1914 Germany invades Belgium; Britain declares war Brussels and London The Schlieffen Plan required violating Belgian neutrality, which Britain had guaranteed since 1839. The German chancellor called the treaty a scrap of paper.
• 1914 – 2001 Tove Jansson Creator of Moomins Author and artist who created the Moomins, a globally recognized Finnish cultural icon.
• 1914 The Battle of Mons Mons, Belgium The British Expeditionary Force's first action, holding briefly against a far larger German force before a long retreat south.
• 1914 Battle of Tannenberg German forces destroy the Russian Second Army in East Prussia German Eighth Army commanders Hindenburg and Ludendorff encircled and destroyed the invading Russian Second Army near Tannenberg. The Russian commander, General Samsonov, took his own life amid the collapse. The victory made Hindenburg and Ludendorff national heroes and shaped the Eastern Front for years.
• 1914 The Battle of Tannenberg East Prussia, Germany Hindenburg and Ludendorff destroyed a Russian army, taking 92,000 prisoners. The defeated Russian commander shot himself in the forest.
• 1914 Battle of Heligoland Bight The first naval clash of the war sees British ships raid German waters A British force raided German patrols near Heligoland in the North Sea, sinking three light cruisers and a torpedo boat for no losses of their own. It was the first naval battle of the war and a morale boost for the Royal Navy. The action made the German fleet more cautious about contesting the North Sea.