World War 1 Anniversary

Hello 1000 Bookies,

I have always been interested in World War I.  That interest started with reading the book Nicholas and Alexandra by the historian, Robert Massie.  I read the history during the summer between 8th grade and my freshman year of high school.  My mother encouraged me to read the history of the fall of the Romanov Empire because it contained the story of Czarvich Alexis.  Until Ryan White, Prince Alexis was the world's most famous patient with Hemophilia.  My mother's grandfather died of complications from hemophilia and her three brothers were born with the disorder.  So that summer I read Nicholas and Alexandra.  The Russian Revolution came at the end of the war and reading that book kindled my interest in World War 1.  Shortly after, Dreadnaught was released by Robert Massie.  That book chronicles the collision course between Germany and Great Britain and the lead up to the declarations of war.  Since then I have read many books, the best being The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman.  Both Nicholas and Alexandra and The Guns of August are on the 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die.

Yesterday, June 28th marked the 105th Anniversary of the spark that lead to the explosion that was the First World War or the Great War or the War to End all Wars.  Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were gunned down on the streets of Sarajevo in what was then and today Bosnia.  Why was Franz Ferdinand important?  The Archduke was the heir to the Austrian Empire's throne.  How did that lead to war?  Well that is a fascinating question.  Bosnia was a disputed province between Austria and the nation Serbia.  Each nation had interlocking alliances.  Suffice to say, that there were many causes leading to the Great War but it needed a spark and the assassination provided that spark.

On a beautiful, warm June Sunday; the Archduke and his wife were riding in an open car through the streets of Sarajevo.  Supposedly there were 6 assassins waiting for the Archduke in the crowd that day.  Similarly to the assassination of John F. Kennedy 50 years later in Dallas, an assassin opened fire and almost immediately killed the royal couple.  Malcolm Forbes wrote a fascinating book called--They Went That A Way, How the Family, the Infamous and the Great Died.  His research was quite interesting. Forbes states:

"Sometimes its the slightest fluke that changes the course of history...Had it not been for a fluke, the last assassin might not have gotten a second chance an hour later, and World War I, while it many well still have occurred, at least would have been ignited differently...[T]he royal couple sat in an open limousine in a procession of four cars down main street. Suddenly a bomb flew from the crowd and landed on the Archduke's car.  By some reports Ferdinand himself shoved the missile off the hood and his chauffeur sped away." 

The Archduke did not cancel the tour and kept going on his Goodwill Tour of the disputer province, but the route was changed and some events were canceled.

But the new route wasn't passed on to all the drivers, so after the lead car made a right turn on Franz Josef Street, Ferdinand's driver started to follow before he was told to turn back.  The driver put on the brakes and began to back up.  At the same time Gavrilo Princip, the only willing assassin who had missed his chance during the first procession, happened to be standing on the corner of that intersection.  Princip stepped into the street and fired his revolver twice.  The first bullet struck Sophie in the stomach; the second pierced the Archduke's neck...Both died within minutes, at 11:30 that Sunday morning.  

After they were arrested Princip and his co-conspirators admitted they supported the separatist movement.  But even tough the evidence indicated that the assassins had not been aided by Serbia, troops were mobilized within a few days and in a month World War I had begun.  If only the Archduke's driver had driven straight ahead.  

For further reading on World War 1, here are some fantastic books to read.  

Keep Reading My Friends!!