On May 7, 1915, the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland. Nearly 1,200 people were killed, including more than 120 U.S. citizens. The sinking shocked the American public and stirred strong anti-German feelings, even though the United States remained officially neutral at the time. Germany argued that the ship carried war supplies, while critics focused on the civilian loss of life. The incident became a key point in debates over U.S. involvement in World War I. It helped lay the groundwork for the eventual U.S. entry into the war in 1917.
