Close Calls and Consequences

Assassination attempts sit at the uneasy intersection of private violence and public power, and they can reshape politics even when they fail. Sometimes a misfire or a moved suitcase keeps history on its current track, while other attacks succeed and leave whole societies scrambling. We probably don’t need to remind you of these attempts, but it’s always good to remember our history. 

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1. The Ides of March

In Rome on March 15, 44 BCE, Dictator Perpetuo Julius Caesar was attacked during a Senate meeting and stabbed to death by a group of senators. The conspirators believed they were defending the Republic from a leader they feared was making himself into a king. Caesar’s killing sparked new civil wars that helped end the Republic and clear the way for imperial rule.

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2. Paris Carriage Stabbing

King Henry IV of France was fatally stabbed in Paris on May 14, 1610, as he rode through crowded streets in his carriage. The attacker, François Ravaillac, was a religious extremist who believed he was acting for the faith. The “Good King Henry’s” death destabilized the court and placed a 9-year-old on the throne.

anonymous  on Wikimedia

3. Jackson’s Misfires

Outside the U.S. Capitol on January 30, 1835, a man approached the 7th president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, and tried to shoot him at close range. Both pistols misfired, and Jackson confronted the attacker during the struggle. It’s remembered as the first known attempt on the life of a sitting U.S. president.

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl on Wikimedia

4. Ford’s Theatre

Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on the night of April 14, 1865. John Wilkes Booth shot the President during a performance of “Our American Cousin.” Lincoln died the next morning across the street at the Petersen House. The assassination stunned a nation who just survived a four-year-long Civil War. 

Alexander Gardner on Wikimedia

5. St. Petersburg Bombs

Russia’s Tsar Alexander II was killed in St. Petersburg on March 13, 1881, after members of the revolutionary group People’s Will attacked him with explosives. A first bomb damaged his carriage, and a second blast inflicted fatal wounds moments later. The killing hardened official repression and became a turning point in Russian revolutionary politics.

J. Bajetti on Wikimedia

6. Sarajevo Motorcade

In Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were shot by Gavrilo Princip. After earlier confusion in the motorcade route, a wrong turn left the couple within the assassin’s reach. The assassination set off a diplomatic crisis that escalated into World War I.

Ferdinand Schmutzer on Wikimedia

7. Bull Moose Bullet

Theodore Roosevelt survived a shooting in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912, while campaigning for president. The bullet was slowed by items in his pocket, including a thick, folded speech, and he still spoke before getting treatment. It became one of the most famous examples of a public figure finishing the job while injured.

Adam Cuerden on Wikimedia

8. Rasputin’s Final Night

In late December 1916, Grigori Rasputin was murdered by Russian nobles who wanted to end his influence over the royal family. The story has been mythologized, but credible accounts agree the plot ended with Rasputin’s death in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). This was after he survived another attempt in 1914, after a woman stabbed him in the stomach.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

9. Valkyrie Briefcase Bomb

At the Wolf’s Lair on July 20, 1944, German officers attempted to kill Adolf Hitler with a bomb, hoping to trigger a coup. The plan failed after changes in the meeting setting and the briefcase’s placement reduced the blast’s impact. Had the attempt been successful, the hope had been to make peace with the Western allies.

UnknownUnknown on Wikimedia

10. Gandhi’s Prayer Vigil

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on January 30, 1948, after a prayer meeting. Nathuram Godse shot him at close range, angered by his work to foster Hindu-Muslim unity. The killing shook India during the fragile early months after Partition.

Elliott & Fry on Wikimedia

11. Cairo Parade Attack

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated on October 6, 1981, during a military parade in Cairo. Attackers opened fire and used grenades at the reviewing stand, killing Sadat and others nearby.

Sven Simon on Wikimedia

12. Reagan Outside Hilton

Ronald Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981, outside the Washington Hilton in an attack carried out by John Hinckley Jr. Reagan survived after undergoing emergency surgery. The only person who survived the attempt was Reagan’s assistant, James Brady. 

Michael Evans on Wikimedia

13. St. Peter’s Square

Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter’s Square. Mehmet Ali Ağca fired as the pope greeted crowds, and John Paul II later forgave him in person. He was even pardoned by the Italian government at the Pope’s request. 

Photo by White House on Wikimedia

14. Indira Gandhi’s Guards

India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on October 31, 1984. Two of her own bodyguards shot her at her residence amid fierce tensions following Operation Blue Star. The aftermath brought widespread violence and lasting political consequences.

Ritva Bäckman on Wikimedia

15. Palme’s Night Walk

Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot in Stockholm on February 28, 1986, while walking home from a movie with his wife, Lisbeth. As it currently stands, there is still no official suspect for who may have killed the couple. 

Firma Hagblom-Foto on Wikimedia

16. Rabin’s Peace Rally

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in Tel Aviv on November 4, 1995, after a rally supporting the Oslo Accords. Yigal Amir, an extremist opposed to the accords, shot Rabin as he left the event.

Yaakov Saar on Wikimedia

17. Bhutto in Rawalpindi

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on December 27, 2007, after a campaign rally. Reports described gunfire followed immediately by a deadly blast, and the attack killed many others as well. This was only two months after she returned to Pakistan, following an 8-year exile. 

SRA Gerald B. Johnson, United States Department of Defense on Wikimedia

18. Malala Yousafzai

In Pakistan’s Swat Valley on October 9, 2012, Malala Yousafzai was shot on a school bus after speaking publicly for girls’ education. She survived after intensive treatment, and the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. Today, Malala is still the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. 

DFID - UK Department for International Development on Wikimedia

19. Abe in Nara

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot on July 8, 2022, while giving a campaign speech in Nara. The attacker, Tetsuya Yamagami, used an improvised firearm to shoot the Prime Minister, due to the country’s strict stance on gun laws. 

Prime Minister of Japan Official on Wikimedia

20. De Gaulle au Petit-Clamart

On August 22, 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle survived a major assassination attempt when gunmen ambushed his motorcade at Petit-Clamart near Paris. The attackers, linked to the OAS, fired heavily at his Citroën DS, but the driver escaped, and no one inside the president’s car was injured. In the aftermath, the organizer Jean Bastien-Thiry was arrested, tried, and executed a year later. 

Office of War Information, Overseas Picture Division. [1] The image prefix (LC-USW3) at the Library of Congress image page matches that of pictures from the OWI collection (see prefix list here. on Wikimedia