June 28, 1914

Gavrilo Princip assassinates the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo, setting off the chain of events that will trigger the first World War. (Within two months there will be 14 declarations of war among the nations of Europe. Piano production in Hamburg will drop by 50%, and Steinway & Sons European sales will rapidly decline: people in France and England will refuse to buy a German piano.)