World Events · 1915
A World Entombed in Total War
In 1915, the Great War intensified with horrific new technologies and widespread tragedy across Europe and the Ottoman Empire. From the muddy trenches to the high seas, old empires clashed as industrial warfare redefined humanity's capacity for destruction.
- May 7, 1915 | Atlantic Ocean
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
A German U-boat torpedoed the British ocean liner off the coast of Ireland, killing nearly 1,200 passengers and turning American public opinion against Germany.
- April 25, 1915 | Ottoman Empire
The Gallipoli Campaign Begins
Allied forces, including Australian and New Zealand troops, landed on the Ottoman peninsula in a disastrous bid to secure a sea route to Russia.
- April 24, 1915 | Ottoman Empire
Armenian Genocide Begins
Ottoman authorities arrested hundreds of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople, launching a systematic campaign of deportation and mass extermination.
- April 22, 1915 | Belgium
First Poison Gas Attack at Ypres
German forces unleashed tons of toxic chlorine gas against Allied trenches near Ypres, introducing modern chemical warfare to the Western Front.
- November 25, 1915 | Germany
Einstein Completes General Relativity
Albert Einstein presented his revolutionary field equations to the Prussian Academy of Sciences, fundamentally transforming humanity's understanding of gravity and spacetime.
- May 23, 1915 | Europe
Italy Enters the Great War
Abandoning its alliance with the Central Powers, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary after signing the secret Treaty of London with the Allies.
- February 8, 1915 | United States
Premiere of The Birth of a Nation
D.W. Griffith released his landmark silent film, which revolutionized cinematic technique while sparking widespread outrage for its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan.
- January 13, 1915 | Italy
The Devastating Avezzano Earthquake
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck central Italy, destroying the town of Avezzano and claiming more than 30,000 lives in one of the country's worst natural disasters.
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