"The shot heard round the world" is a phrase referring to several historical incidents,
particularly the opening of the American Revolutionary War in 1775 and the assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand in 1914.
== Skirmish at the North Bridge ==
The phrase comes from the opening stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn" (1837)
and refers to the first shot of the American Revolution at the Old North Bridge in Concord,
Massachusetts, where the first British soldiers fell in the battles of Lexington and Concord
on April 19, 1775.
Historically, no single shot can be cited as the first shot of the battle or the war.
Shots were fired earlier that day at Lexington, Massachusetts, where eight Americans were
killed and a British soldier was slightly wounded, but accounts of that event are confused
and contradictory.
The North Bridge skirmish did see the first shots by Americans acting under orders, the
first organized volley by Americans, the first British fatalities, and the first British
retreat.
The towns of Lexington and Concord have debated over the point of origin for the Revolutionary
War since 1824, when the Marquis de Lafayette visited the towns.
He was welcomed to Lexington hearing it described as the "birthplace of American liberty", but
he was then informed in Concord that the "first forcible resistance" was made there.
President Ulysses S. Grant considered not attending the 1875 centennial celebrations
in the area to evade the issue.
In 1894, Lexington petitioned the state legislature to proclaim April 19 as "Lexington Day", to
which Concord objected; the current name for the holiday is Patriots' Day.Emerson lived
in a house known as the Old Manse at the time when he was composing the "Concord Hymn",
from which his grandfather and father (then a young child) had witnessed the skirmish.
The house is located approximately 300 feet (91 m) from the North Bridge.
== Assassination of Franz Ferdinand == The phrase "shot heard round the world" (alternatively
"shots heard round the world" or "shot heard around the world") has also become associated
with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, an
event considered to be one of the immediate causes of World War I. Serbian Gavrilo Princip
fired two shots, the first hitting Franz Ferdinand's wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, and the
second hitting the Archduke himself.
The death of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, propelled Austria-Hungary
and the rest of Europe into World War I.
== Widespread idiomatic use == The phrase "Shot heard round the world" continues
to be a stock phrase in the 21st century, widely used to refer to extraordinary events
in general.
The phrase has been applied to several dramatic moments in sports history.
In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" refers to the game-winning walk-off home run
by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca
to win the National League pennant on October 3, 1951.
The Giants won the game 5–4 as a result of the home run, defeating their traditional
rivals in the pennant playoff series, although they eventually lost the World Series to the
Yankees.In association football, the shot heard round the world refers to Paul Caligiuri's
winning goal for the United States men's national soccer team in the final qualifying round
for the 1990 FIFA World Cup on 19 November 1989.
The US had not qualified for the Word Cup since 1950.
The team was in third position of the CONCACAF playoffs before their final game against Trinidad
and Tobago in Port of Spain.
The US had to win to go to the finals, their opponents only needed a draw.
Defensive midfielder Caliguri, the only full-professional player in the team, received the ball 40 yards
out from goal, and instead of passing it to a striker, beat one defender and launched
a 30-yard shot that looped into goal