10 Amazing Coincidences From History

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the catalyst that kicked off the First World War. But it almost didn’t happen. Ferdinand’s assassin was 19 year-old Gavrilo Princip, a part of the freedom-fighting Black Hand Gang.

While waiting in the street for the Archduke to pass in his open-top car so that he could shoot him, another member of the Black Hand Gang further up the street threw a bomb at the car. The bomb hit Ferdinand’s car and bounced off. It rolled under the car behind and exploded, injuring an officer and several bystanders.

The car carrying the Archduke sped off towards the town hall to escape. Gavrilo Princip, feeling dejected that the assassination had failed, walked around the corner and entered a delicatessen for a sandwich.

Having calmed down a bit, Franz Ferdinand decided to go to the hospital to visit the victims of the attack. Unfortunately, the driver took a wrong turn, and while trying to reverse to turn around stalled the car. They just happened to stall directly outside the delicatessen that Princip was now exiting with his sandwich.

He saw, to his utter astonishment, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, right there in front of him. He pulled out his gun and shot them both dead. Reports don't specify what type of sandwich he bought.