Sinking of the Lusitania
By: Shannon Kelly
On May 7th, 1915 the Lusitania sank. It was used to carry people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean. On May 1st 1915 the Lusitania left port in New York for Liverpool. There were 1,959 people on board. 159 of them were Americans. On May 7th a torpedo fired by the German submarine hit the Lusitania. An explosion then occurred. The passengers tried to escape but within 18 minutes the ship sank. 1,119 passengers died, 114 of them were Americans. The sinking of the Lusitania enraged many Americans and caused the United States' entrance into World War I.