7. The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist. This event set off a chain reaction: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, leading Russia to mobilize in defense of Serbia. Germany declared war on Russia, and France, allied with Russia, was drawn into the conflict. Germany’s invasion of Belgium prompted Britain to declare war on Germany. These alliances escalated a regional dispute into a global conflict, marking the beginning of World War I. (history.com).
