History’s Most Consequential Assassination Schemes
Political assassinations have altered governments, triggered crises, and abruptly changed the direction of entire countries, while other plots have collapsed through mistakes, warnings, bad luck, or effective security. Some attackers succeeded despite limited resources, whereas elaborate conspiracies involving numerous participants failed before reaching their intended targets. Looking across different periods reveals 10 deadly plots that worked and 10 that fell apart almost immediately.
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1. Julius Caesar Was Killed in the Roman Senate
A group of Roman senators conspired to assassinate Julius Caesar amid fears that his growing authority threatened the Republic. On March 15, 44 B.C. Caesar died at the scene, although his killers ultimately failed to restore the stable republican government they claimed to defend.
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2. Abraham Lincoln Was Shot at Ford’s Theatre
John Wilkes Booth organized a conspiracy targeting President Abraham Lincoln. Booth entered Lincoln’s box at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, and shot the president, who died the following morning. Other parts of the wider conspiracy failed, leaving Lincoln as its most prominent fatality.
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3. Archduke Franz Ferdinand Was Assassinated in Sarajevo
Bosnian Serb conspirators planned to kill Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand during his June 1914 visit to Sarajevo. Several opportunities were missed before Gavrilo Princip encountered the archduke’s car and fatally shot Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.
4. King Alexander I Was Killed in Marseille
Yugoslav King Alexander I arrived in Marseille, France, for a state visit in October 1934 despite serious concerns about his safety. Vlado Chernozemski approached the royal motorcade and fatally shot Alexander along with French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou.
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5. Reinhard Heydrich Was Fatally Attacked in Prague
Czechoslovak agents Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš were sent to occupied Czechoslovakia to target senior Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich in Operation Anthropoid. Their attack in Prague on May 27, 1942, initially appeared uncertain after one weapon malfunctioned, but a modified explosive wounded Heydrich. He died from complications several days later.
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6. Mahatma Gandhi Was Shot in New Delhi
Mahatma Gandhi was attending an evening prayer gathering in New Delhi on January 30, 1948, when Nathuram Godse approached him. Godse fired several shots at close range, fatally wounding the Indian independence leader.
7. Anwar Sadat Was Killed During a Military Parade
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat attended a military parade in Cairo on October 6, 1981, commemorating Egypt’s role in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad who had infiltrated the military attacked the reviewing stand using guns and grenades. Sadat was killed, although other officials at the ceremony survived.
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8. Indira Gandhi Was Killed by Her Bodyguards
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, months after ordering Operation Blue Star against Sikh militants inside the Golden Temple complex. Two Sikh members of her security detail opened fire as she walked through her residence grounds in New Delhi.
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9. Yitzhak Rabin Was Shot After a Peace Rally
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin attended a large peace rally in Tel Aviv on November 4, 1995. As Rabin left the event, Israeli extremist Yigal Amir approached and shot him. Rabin later died at a hospital, and Amir was arrested at the scene before eventually receiving a life sentence.
10. Benazir Bhutto Was Killed After a Campaign Rally
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was campaigning for another term when she attended a rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007. An attacker approached her vehicle, gunfire occurred, and an explosion followed moments later.
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1. The Gunpowder Plot Was Exposed Before Parliament Opened
Robert Catesby and fellow Catholic conspirators planned to destroy England’s House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament in 1605. An anonymous warning sent to Lord Monteagle prompted authorities to search the building. Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding gunpowder beneath Parliament before it could be detonated.
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2. The Pazzi Conspiracy Failed to Eliminate the Medici Brothers
The Pazzi conspirators tried to kill Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici during Mass in Florence Cathedral in April 1478. Giuliano was killed, but Lorenzo escaped with relatively minor injuries.
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3. Andrew Jackson’s Attacker Suffered Two Misfires
Richard Lawrence confronted President Andrew Jackson outside the U.S. Capitol in January 1835 and aimed a pistol at him. The weapon misfired, so Lawrence produced a second pistol. That gun also failed, allowing bystanders and officials to restrain him before Jackson was harmed.
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4. John Francis’s First Attempt on Queen Victoria Misfired
Queen Victoria faced several assassination attempts during her reign, including one involving John Francis in 1842. Francis aimed a pistol toward the royal carriage, but it failed to fire.
5. The July 20 Plot Failed to Kill Hitler
German officers involved in the July 20, 1944, conspiracy planned to assassinate Adolf Hitler and seize control of the government. Claus von Stauffenberg placed a bomb inside Hitler’s headquarters, but the explosion didn't kill him. Mass arrests and executions of conspirators followed the failed attack.
6. Giuseppe Zangara Missed Franklin D. Roosevelt
President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt was speaking from an open vehicle in Miami in February 1933 when Giuseppe Zangara opened fire. Roosevelt escaped injury, although several people nearby were wounded.
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7. Lynette Fromme’s Gun Didn’t Fire at Gerald Ford
Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme approached President Gerald Ford in Sacramento on September 5, 1975, carrying a loaded handgun. She pointed it toward Ford, but no shot was fired before Secret Service agents restrained her.
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8. Sara Jane Moore Missed Ford Weeks Later
Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot Gerald Ford in San Francisco on September 22, 1975, shortly after Fromme’s failed attempt. Her first shot missed, and bystander Oliver Sipple grabbed her arm before she could fire accurately again.
9. Ronald Reagan Survived John Hinckley Jr.’s Attack
John Hinckley Jr. fired several shots outside the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981, hitting President Ronald Reagan and three others. Reagan was seriously wounded but received emergency treatment and survived. Hinckley was immediately apprehended, bringing the brief assassination attempt to an end.
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10. The Blair House Attack Failed to Reach Harry Truman
Puerto Rican nationalists Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attacked Blair House in Washington, D.C., on November 1, 1950. A gunfight with police and Secret Service officers prevented them from reaching President Harry Truman.
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