The event considered the spark that ignited World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. On June 28, 1914.

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a nationalist group seeking independence for Serbia. This assassination set off a chain reaction of alliances and tensions among European powers. Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war against Serbia led to the mobilization of allied nations, escalating into a global conflict that involved numerous countries and resulted in significant loss of life and geopolitical changes.