Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky is born October 18, 1880 in the Russian port city of Odessa on the Black Sea.
By the age of 21 he is a well-known newspaper columnist with a promising literary career ahead of him.
But events like the Kishinev pogrom pull his attention toward Zionism.
When the Ottoman Empire joins the Central Powers early in World War I, Jabotinsky sees a chance to wrest Palestine from the Turks by creating a Jewish force to fight for the Allies.
Photo credit: The Jabotinsky Institute of Israel