Likely, you haven’t heard of Gavrilo Princip. Or if you have, like me, you had forgotten him. But last week, June 28, marked the anniversary of what Princip did, which in turn set the wheels of things spinning …

Princip was one of nine children and one of only three children to survive. He was born in 1894, the son of a poor postman near Bosnia, back in the days of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. His parents were so poor, they could not provide for young Gavrilo and sent him away to live with an older brother.

He was a sickly child described as “bookish.”

In referring to Gavrilo Princip, Strobe Talbott in his book, “The Great Experiment,” writes, “A corollary to the Great Man Theory of history might acknowledge the importance of the little guy at the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) moment.” 

The Great Man Theory claims some men rise to greatness by the choices they have made at a crucial point in history and, thus, sway the course of history.

Talbott has a point for the Little Guy Theory, too, because Gavrilo Princip swayed the course of history.

He joined a radical group of Serbs seeking an independent nation for all Serbs. As part of this group, Princip was assigned to assassinate Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne. 

In Sarajevo, on June 28, 1914, Princip assassinated the archduke.

One may wonder, well, so?

So, Princip’s action set off a domino effect on European foreign policy. 

As Talbott notes, as a result of the assassination, “Encouraged by Germany, Austria confronted Serbia, with an ultimatum designed to be unacceptable. When Russia mobilized, so did Germany; France joined Russia; Germany declared war on Russia and France and overran Belgium, an ally of Britain; Britain declared war on Germany.”

So, began World War I, which lasted four years, eventually involved 32 nations, including the United States, and killed more than 8.5 million soldiers and as many as 13 million civilians as a result of the war’s consequences.

The treaty reached to end World War I is considered by many historians to be the faulty framework that set into motion what became World War II 20 years later. It was the same treaty that led to the creation of Iraq as a nation.

So, whenever, you may wonder how some event in a faraway place can affect us remember June 28, 1914, and remember Gavrilo Princip.

Dean Poling is an editor with The Valdosta Daily Times.