Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Era of Assassination

Few single events in history have carried such vast consequences as the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which led to World War I, a war whose aftermath continues to affect our world today, a century later. But could the assassination have been prevented? Lisa Traynor starts with a little-known fact: the Archduke had—but did not wear that day—a bulletproof vest. From there, she highlights the risks faced by all powerful figures in that period of unrest, charts the technological development of pistols in the era, and, finally, tests her findings on a replica of the Archduke’s vest. Could it have stood up to a close-up shot from the Browning Model 1910 used by the assassin? Of such questions is history made.