may 7, 1915 - World War I: Sinking of the RMS Lusitania

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1198 Civiliians killed when the British Ocean Liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by the Imperial German Navy U-boat U-20. The ship was enroute to Liverpool from New York. The ship was originally sceheduled to arrive in Liverpool on the 6th of May but took longer having the avoid Submarines. The ship left port on April 17, 1915 from Liverpool, under the orders to not fly any flags in order to avoid being seen as an enemy ship. Arriving on the 24th of April a group of passengers went to the German embassy out of fear the ship would sunk on its return voyage. The Embassy then issued a warning telling passengers not to board the Lusitania. On its departure the Lusitania had 1959 people on board. Of that 761 survived the sinking. The event sent ripples throughout the world with Turkey and Austria-Hungary severly criticizing and disapproving of the sinking. Sculptor Karl X. Goetz produced several medals of the event to satirize the the attack and the events of Agatha Christie's novel The Secret Adversary are set off by the sinking of the Luistania.

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