On 28 June 1914, the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in their open car in Sarajevo. It triggered a sequence of events that led to World War I. Austria held Serbia responsible and declared war on Serbia. The conflict soon escalated and became the First World War. The war ended four years later with the Armistice of 11 November 1918. The date 11 November (11/11) is remarkable. But there is something far more peculiar about this event. The car in which Franz Ferdinand died bore licence plate number AIII 118, possibly referring to Armistice 11-11-18.

The assassination succeeded after a series of mishaps. Two conspirators failed to act. A third threw a bomb that exploded below the next car. Franz Ferdinand then changed his plan to visit the wounded from the bombing at the hospital. After learning the plot had failed, Princip positioned himself on the route to the hospital. There, Franz Ferdinand’s open car reversed after taking a wrong turn. The engine stalled, and the gears locked precisely in front of the only person still prepared to strike.

Surrounded by a crowd, Princip was unable to activate the bomb he was carrying. He used his handgun instead, but failed to aim it properly. He later said, ‘Where I aimed, I don’t know.’ Princip added that he turned his head off when firing the shots. Even considering the close range, it is odd he fired only two bullets, killing both the Archduke and his wife.¹

Franz Ferdinand had premonitions of early death. One relative recalled him telling a few friends a month earlier that he knew that he was about to be murdered. Another account notes that the Archduke had shot a white stag a year earlier. According to folklore, a hunter who had killed such an animal would die soon. While hunting, Franz Ferdinand killed over 270,000 animals. It may have happened, but no reliable source confirms it.¹

The assassination could have gone wrong, or it might not have triggered a war, or the war could have proceeded differently to end on another day. Indeed, remarkable coincidences surrounded the assassination. The car stopped just in front of Princip. And two poorly aimed shots proved to be fatal. But the licence plate adds a very peculiar suggestion to it. Did someone know the car would play a crucial role in the assassination that would ignite a world war that would end on 11 November 1918? In other words, is there a plan behind everything that happens in this world?

Latest revision: 15 July 2025

Featured image: Gräf and Stift Double Phaeton of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at the time of his assassination. User OlliFoolish (2011). Wikimedia Commons.

1. Curses! Archduke Franz Ferdinand and His Astounding Death Car. Mike Dash (2013). Smithsonian. [link]