100 years ago: The Willy — Nicky telegrams

July 28th, 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia one month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie. The great powers of Europe began to mobilize their armies. Two imperial cousins, Czar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany engaged in a fascinating exchange of telegrams (in English) as their nations teetered on the brink of war.