1915

Civil Rights 20th Century South Asia

Mahatma Gandhi Returns to India from South Africa

After more than two decades in South Africa, where Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi developed his philosophy of satyagraha through campaigns against racial discrimination and indentured labor, he sailed back to his homeland. Gandhi arrived in Bombay on January 9, 1915, greeted by crowds and Indian National Congress leaders eager to draw on his experience in nonviolent resistance. His return came amid growing Indian discontent with British colonial rule following World War I's onset. Gandhi initially focused on social reform and rural issues before expanding his national role. The homecoming marked the beginning of his transformation into a central figure in India's independence struggle.

Event Detail

First Zeppelin Air Raid Strikes Britain

As World War I escalated into a total conflict involving civilian populations, Germany sought new ways to bring the war to British shores. Two German Zeppelins, diverted by weather from targets near the Humber, approached the Norfolk coast on the night of January 19-20, 1915. The airships dropped bombs on Great Yarmouth, Sheringham, King's Lynn, and nearby villages, killing four civilians and injuring sixteen. British aircraft failed to intercept the raiders, and property damage reached several thousand pounds. The raid marked the first successful aerial bombardment of Britain and introduced a new era of strategic bombing.

Technology 20th Century North America

Bell Inaugurates U.S. Transcontinental Telephone Service

By the early 20th century, telephone networks had expanded across the eastern and western United States but lacked a reliable long-distance connection. On January 25, 1915, Alexander Graham Bell placed the first official transcontinental call from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco. The demonstration used newly developed vacuum-tube amplifiers to overcome signal loss over 3,400 miles of wire. The call lasted several minutes and showcased the technology's potential for coast-to-coast communication. It marked the completion of a major infrastructure project by AT&T. The service quickly became available to the public at high cost.

Event Detail America 250 Atlas

Military 20th Century Middle East & North Africa

Allied Fleet Begins Dardanelles Bombardment

By early 1915, the First World War had stalemated on the Western Front, prompting Britain and France to seek a naval route through the Dardanelles Strait to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war and relieve pressure on Russia. On February 19, an Anglo-French task force opened fire on Ottoman coastal fortifications at the entrance to the Gallipoli peninsula. The bombardment marked the start of a prolonged campaign that aimed to force the straits and capture Constantinople. Initial shelling damaged some forts but met stiff resistance from mobile Ottoman artillery. The action escalated into a major combined-arms operation that ultimately failed to achieve its strategic objectives.

Germany Deploys Chlorine Gas at Ypres

By spring 1915, World War I had stalemated into trench warfare along the Western Front, with Allied and German forces locked in attrition near Ypres, Belgium. Seeking a breakthrough, German forces under the command of Erich von Falkenhayn prepared a novel weapon. On April 22, 1915, they released over 150 tons of chlorine gas from cylinders along a four-mile front against French and Canadian troops. The greenish-yellow cloud caused immediate panic, choking victims and forcing retreats as Allied lines buckled. This marked the first large-scale use of chemical weapons in modern warfare, though wind conditions limited its full impact and prompted rapid Allied countermeasures.

Other 20th Century Middle East & North Africa

Arrest of Armenian Leaders Begins Genocide

During World War I, the Ottoman Empire viewed its Armenian population with growing suspicion amid military setbacks and nationalist tensions. On the night of April 24, 1915, Ottoman authorities in Constantinople arrested approximately 235 to 270 prominent Armenian intellectuals, professionals, and community leaders on orders from Interior Minister Talaat Pasha. The detainees included writers, doctors, journalists, and politicians who were held initially before many were deported and killed. This coordinated action targeted the Armenian elite and is widely regarded as the symbolic start of the systematic destruction of the Armenian community.

Military 20th Century Middle East & North Africa

Allied Forces Land at Gallipoli Peninsula

In World War I, the Allies aimed to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war and open a supply route to Russia by seizing the Dardanelles Strait. British, French, Australian, New Zealand, and other troops assembled for an amphibious assault on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. On April 25, 1915, landings commenced at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles under intense Ottoman fire, marking the start of a prolonged campaign. Initial advances stalled against determined defenses led by Mustafa Kemal. The operation became one of the war's bloodiest failures for the Allies.

German U-Boat Sinks RMS Lusitania off Ireland

During World War I, Germany declared a war zone around the British Isles and warned that Allied ships, including passenger liners, risked attack by submarines. The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania departed New York for Liverpool carrying passengers and cargo that included munitions. On May 7, 1915, the German submarine U-20 torpedoed the ship without warning about 11 nautical miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. A secondary explosion, possibly from the cargo or boilers, accelerated the sinking, which took only 18 minutes. Of nearly 2,000 people aboard, 1,198 died, including 128 Americans.

Italy Declares War on Austria-Hungary, Entering World War I

Italy had remained neutral at the outbreak of World War I despite its membership in the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Secret negotiations with the Entente powers offered territorial gains in exchange for joining the Allies. On May 23, 1915, Italy formally declared war on Austria-Hungary, opening a new Alpine front stretching roughly 600 kilometers. Italian forces mobilized along the border, initiating the Isonzo campaigns that would claim hundreds of thousands of casualties over the next three years. The declaration surprised many observers and shifted the strategic balance in the Mediterranean and Central Europe.