January 8, 1918Reputable sourceWell documented
Wilson's Fourteen Points
On the timeline · around January 8, 1918 ·
What happened
In an address to Congress, President Woodrow Wilson set out Fourteen Points as a basis for a just and lasting peace — including open diplomacy, freedom of the seas, self-determination for peoples, and a general association of nations to guarantee security.
Why it matters
The Fourteen Points shaped the armistice negotiations and the postwar debate, and pointed toward the League of Nations — even as the eventual treaty fell far short of Wilson's vision.