( CNN ) -- One hundred years after firing the shot that set off World War I , Gavrilo Princip was toasted by some Saturday in Sarajevo -- whether they wore T-shirts emblazoned with his face or admired a statue recently unveiled in his honor . Today , opinions on Princip are mixed . Some in Bosnia-Herzegovina -- of which Sarajevo is the capital -- think he was a terrorist , reported CNN affiliate N1 in Yugoslavia . But there are also a number of Bosnian Serbs who view him as a hero . 7 things you did n't know about Gavrilo Princip . The former viewpoint was on display in Friday 's unveiling of a statue of Princip in Sarajevo . Media footage showed officials clapping as others looked on to catch a glimpse of the life-sized portrayal . The unveiling of the statue was one of many events , including concerts and symposiums , Sarajevo is holding this weekend to mark the start of World War I. Princip was 19 years old June 28 , 1914 , when he assassinated Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife , Sophia , as the couple rode in an automobile through the streets . `` The shooting acted as a trigger , metastasizing from a Balkan street corner into a continental crisis by releasing pent-up tension between rival blocs of Great European Powers : the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany on one side and France , Russia and Great Britain on the other , '' Tim Butcher , author of `` The Trigger : Hunting the Assassin who Brought the World to War , '' wrote in an op-ed piece for CNN.com . Millions were killed in the conflict that changed the political landscape of Europe . The 'bionic men ' of World War I . How World War I gave us 'cooties '
Gavrilo Princip fired the shots on June 28 , 1914 . He fatally wounded Austro - Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife . The assassination is considered the beginning of World War I .