10 Failed Assassinations

A Brief History

On April 30, 2009, during a Queen’s Day parade in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands (Holland), Queen Beatrix and her family were attacked by a man driving a Suzuki Swift. Trying to ram the open topped bus that the royal family was riding in, the would be assassin missed the bus and crashed his car into a monument, killing 7 people plus himself. Many times would be assassins have failed, sometimes just barely. Some prominent people have been the target of numerous attempts on their lives. Here we present 10 instances where the assassin failed, through their own bungling, quick action by others, or just pure luck.

10. V.I. Lenin, 1918.

Twice in 1918 the Father of the Soviet Union came close to being assassinated, the first time when assassins attacked him in his automobile firing a barrage of bullets. One of the bullets hit the hand of Lenin’s companion that was holding Lenin’s head down, a close call indeed. A few month later, as Lenin talked to a woman next to his automobile, a second woman suddenly fired 3 bullets at him, hitting him in the hand and jaw, while also hitting the first woman. Lenin was knocked out by the gunfire, though of course he survived. This event triggered the Red Terror at Joseph Stalin’s behest resulting in hundreds of executions and thousands of people imprisoned.

9. Abraham Lincoln, 1864.

Although successfully assassinated in 1865, there was another attempt on Lincoln’s life by firearm. Lincoln often traveled from the White House to the Soldiers Home (a 3 mile trip) where he could work quietly and sleep peacefully. One night, as he rode his horse to the Soldiers Home, a single rifle shot rang out and a bullet passed through Lincoln’s hat, blowing it off his head.

8. Andrew Jackson, 1835.

Old Hickory was not a name bestowed upon President Jackson for no reason. When an assassin came at the president with 2 pistols, both of which misfired, Jackson beat the hapless would be murderer into the ground with his walking stick! The blundering assassin was confined to a mental institution.

7. George Wallace, 1972.

The segregationist (racist?) governor of Alabama was running for the Democratic nomination for president when he was shot by a man desiring fame. The assassin, Arthur Bremer, apparently just wanted to shoot a famous person and had intended to shoot President Nixon, but was kept at bay by thorough security. Wallace was shot 5 times in the gut and chest, one of the bullets severing his spine and leaving him paralyzed for life. Bremer was the inspiration for the movie Taxi Driver (1976) and was released from prison in 2007 after serving 35 years.

6. Victor Yushchenko, 2004.

Between serving as Prime Minister of Ukraine 1999-2001 and President of Ukraine 2005-2010, Yushchenko was leading the opposition party in that country when he was poisoned by unknown parties with dioxin, the poison found in Agent Orange. Although he became ill and disfigured from the poison, Yushchenko lived to be elected President of Ukraine.

5. King James I of England, 1605.

In the famous assassination attempt known as The Gunpowder Plot masterminded by Robert Catesby, a catholic that wanted to replace the king with a catholic queen. The plan was to have Guy Fawkes, a military man experienced with explosives place enough gunpowder underneath the House of Lords to blow it up, killing the king and as many of the Peers as possible. Prior to the plot going off with a bang, someone anonymously tipped off authorities and Fawkes was found with 36 barrels of gunpowder under Parliament. In the gun battle with conspirators, some including Catesby were killed, while Fawkes was captured and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. This night is remembered in England to this day each year as Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night. In the 2006 movie, V For Vendetta, a prominent prop is the “Guy Fawkes Mask” worn by conspirators in a future time taking their inspiration from the Gunpowder Plot.

4. John-Paul II, 1981.

Hit with 4 bullets fired by a lone Turkish assassin in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the Pope was grievously wounded by 2 of the bullets that had entered his guts. John-Paul did not die, and lived to forgive his attempted assassin who had claimed the pope was shot for representing capitalism. Speculation that the KGB or Bulgarian secret police were involved in a plot to kill John-Paul has never been substantiated. Although pardoned in Italy for the attempted assassination, Mehmet Agca ended up spending 29 years in prison for a separate murder and bank robberies in Turkey.

3. Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, 1912.

Although not actually president at the time, Roosevelt was running for that office once again and while campaigning in Milwaukee was shot in the chest just before a speech. Deciding he was not hurt all that badly, the intrepid TR went ahead with his speech and spoke for an hour and a half before finishing and going to the hospital. Although the bullet entered his chest and stayed inside Roosevelt the rest of his life, the incredibly lucky fact that the bullet had passed through a metal eyeglasses case and a folded copy of his speech slowed the bullet enough to save Roosevelt’s life.

2. Ronald Reagan, 1981.

With 4 presidents of the US killed by assassins, the protective detail of the Secret Service must remain ever vigilant. Shortly after his inauguration President Reagan was shot by a deranged man trying to attract the attention of actress Jodie Foster, the object of his obsession. Reagan escaped death by the narrowest of margins, with the .22 caliber bullet glancing off the presidential limousine and entering Reagan’s chest, stopping more or less right up against his heart! One more inch and Reagan would have died. Additionally, the small explosive charge in the tip of the bullet failed to detonate, again, a factor that preserved Reagan’s life.

1. Adolf Hitler, 1944.

While attending a staff meeting a trusted officer (and war hero) left a briefcase containing a bomb under the conference table intending to kill Hitler and some of his inner circle. Apparently through dumb luck the briefcase was knocked over and the heavy table shielded Hitler from some of the blast, allowing him to survive. The mad dictator became even more deranged and paranoid after this attempt on his life, as well as suffering some hearing loss, injuries to his left arm and tremors. This incident is portrayed in the Tom Cruise movie, Valkyrie (2008). The Fuehrer was targeted numerous times by assassins, but this incident was the closest they came to success.

Question for students (and subscribers): What other failed assassinations would you add to the list? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

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