10 Assassination Attempts That Shook the World

The possibility of assassination has always been there for public figures throughout human history. Different assassination attempts have varying motives; they can be political, ideological, or personal. While some of the attacks on public figures have been successful and left an indelible mark of death on the victims, others remained unsuccessful. This piece highlights some high-profile assassination attempts throughout history that shook the world.

1. Donald Trump

On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump, a former president of the United States, was shot in the right ear at one of his campaign rallies in Bulter, Pennsylvania. He was addressing his supporters when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a young local man, opened eight rounds of fire from an assault rifle.

Crooks was neutralized by the Secret Service and died on the spot after killing one of the supporters, a 50-year-old man. Donald Trump, on the other hand, had to take cover within moments of the shootout before being scampered to safety by the Secret Service. They helped him into his car and whisked him off to the hospital. He was released from the facility a few hours later.

2. Ronald Reagan

On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded after addressing the public at the Hilton Hotel in Washington. John Hinckley Jr., the assailant, shot at him as he exited the ballroom, heading to his car.

Hinckley got off six shots, and one bullet ricocheted and hit Reagan in the lung, barely missing his heart. The President was whisked to George Washington University Hospital, where he received emergency surgery, recovered fully, and was released 12 days later.

Sadly, James Brady, the press secretary, was critically wounded during the ordeal, with a gunshot wound to the head. This left him permanently disabled and led to his demise. Interestingly, John Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty of his charges because of his mental state.

3. Pope John Paul II

On May 13, 1981, when Pope John Paul II was entering St. Peter’s Square, Mehmet Ali Ağca, a Turkish gunman, opened fire, intending to take out the religious leader. Ağca, from a very short distance, shot the Pope multiple times in the abdomen and left hand.

Pope John Paul II had seriously been injured and was rushed to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for emergency surgery. True to what religion dictates, Pope John Paul II met and forgave Ağca for the attack. Initial motives notwithstanding, Ağca’s attack was unclear, leaving the matter in the hands of conspiracy theorists.

4. Fidel Castro

It’s hard to imagine a leader/popular figure who survived more assassination attempts than Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader of Cuba. Historical documents show that he evaded more than 600 attempts on his life. They ranged from direct shooting plots to schemes involving poisoned cigars, explosive seashells, and even a poisoned diving suit.

Castro’s survival possessed both luck and adequate security measures, and perhaps even some incompetent or betrayed plotters bayed for his blood. As expected, the numerous failed assassination attempts against Castro had huge political and diplomatic repercussions.

They paved the way for tense relations between the United States and Cuba, impacting geopolitics in the region. The fact that the CIA is thought to have been part of the plots didn’t help much.

5. Adolf Hitler

On July 20, 1944, there was a failed attempt on Adolf Hitler’s life. Commonly known as the July 20 plot, the plotters inserted a bomb into a briefcase and then pushed it under a table in Wolf’s Lair, one of Hitler’s Eastern Front military headquarters.

The bomb exploded, killing four and injuring many others. Hitler himself survived, only sustaining minor injuries from the blast. The aftermath saw the Nazi leader ordering the arrest and execution of everyone involved – among them was army officer Claus von Stauffenberg.

As it turned out, the botched assassination created a stronger hold for Hitler within the Nazi regime, spreading more fear and repression within the country.

6. Queen Victoria

In the course of her long reign, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom survived many assassination attempts. Most notably, on March 2, 1882, as she was riding a carriage near Buckingham Palace, a young man named Edward fired shots at the monarch, which he missed.

Many other subsequent attempts were made within a few years, but none succeeded. Most of the attackers were incompetent, and the security behind the queen improved with every attempt on her life.

7. Margaret Thatcher

On October 12, 1984, Margaret Thatcher, the U.K.’s prime minister at the time, was a target of an attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). After thorough preparations and due diligence, the IRA knew the prime minister and other British government officials would be at the Grand Hotel, the venue of the Conservative Party Conference at Brighton, so they targeted it.

Representing the IRA, Patrick Magee planted an explosion in the venue. It exploded, killing 5 people, including M.P. Sir Anthony Berry, but Margaret Thatcher survived unscathed.

8. Alexander II of Russia

During the reign of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, there were many attempts on his life. For instance, in 1866, Dmitry Karakozov was captured before he had a chance to shoot the Tsar as planned. Karakozov was executed for his attempt.

In 1879, the Narodnaya Volya organization attempted an attack on Alexander II by throwing a bomb at him. He survived 6 such attacks before he was finally killed.

9. Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle, the former President of France, survived several assassination attempts against his life. On August 22, 1962, he escaped an assassination bid by members of a French paramilitary organization opposed to independence in Algeria.

In the attack, Charles de Gaulle’s motorcade was ambushed near Paris, and gunmen opened fire aiming at the President’s car. Luckily for the head of state, his Citroën DS was well-reinforced, repelling much of the attack.

10. Gabrielle Giffords

On January 8, 2011, congressional representative Gabrielle Giffords of the U.S. Congress was having a constituency meeting in Tucson, Arizona, when a shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, opened fire on the crowd, killing many and injuring plenty more.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords took a gunshot wound to the head and was in critical condition. She was rushed to the hospital, where emergency surgery was done to treat her injuries. Despite the seriousness of her condition, Giffords survived this attack.