U.S. Exposed: The Untold Stories of Failed Assassination Attempts on U.S. Presidents!

From the tragic night at Ford’s Theatre to the harrowing attack outside the Washington Hilton, U.S. presidents have faced grave threats. Explore the chilling tales of successful assassinations and thwarted attempts, uncovering the masterminds and their plans that aimed to alter American history.

U.S. Presidents Who Have Been Assassinated:

1. Abraham Lincoln (16th President)

• Assassinated: April 14, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth.
• Mastermind: John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer.
• Plan: Booth’s original plan was to kidnap Lincoln and take him to Richmond, Virginia, to exchange him for Confederate prisoners. When this plan failed, Booth decided to kill Lincoln, believing it would aid the Confederate cause. Booth shot Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre during a play.

  2.James A. Garfield (20th President)

• Assassinated: July 2, 1881, by Charles J. Guiteau.
• Mastermind: Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker who believed that Garfield’s death would allow Vice President Chester A. Arthur to become President and reward Guiteau with a diplomatic post.
• Plan: Guiteau stalked Garfield for several weeks before shooting him at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. Garfield died from infections related to his wounds.

3.William McKinley (25th President)

• Assassinated: September 6, 1901, by Leon Czolgosz.
• Mastermind: Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist influenced by the ideologies of other anarchists like Emma Goldman.
• Plan: Czolgosz attended the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, and shot McKinley while he was greeting the public. McKinley succumbed to gangrene caused by the gunshot wounds.

  4.John F. Kennedy (35th President)

• Assassinated: November 22, 1963, by Lee Harvey Oswald.
• Mastermind: Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine who had defected to the Soviet Union and returned to the U.S. with pro-Communist sympathies.
• Plan: Oswald fired shots at Kennedy’s motorcade from the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas. He was apprehended later that day but was killed by Jack Ruby before he could stand trial.

U.S. Presidents Who Have Faced Assassination Attempts:

1. Andrew Jackson (7th President)

• Attempt: January 30, 1835, by Richard Lawrence.
• Mastermind: Richard Lawrence, who believed he was King Richard III of England and that Jackson’s death would bring him into wealth.
• Plan: Lawrence approached Jackson at the U.S. Capitol and attempted to shoot him with two pistols, both of which misfired. Jackson was unharmed and subdued Lawrence with his cane.

2.Theodore Roosevelt (26th President)

• Attempt: October 14, 1912, by John Flammang Schrank.
• Mastermind: John Flammang Schrank, a mentally disturbed man who believed the ghost of President William McKinley had ordered him to kill Roosevelt.
• Plan: Schrank shot Roosevelt in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but Roosevelt survived because the bullet was slowed by a glasses case and a thick speech in his coat pocket. Roosevelt continued to deliver his speech before seeking medical attention.

3.Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President)

• Attempt: February 15, 1933, by Giuseppe Zangara.
• Mastermind: Giuseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant with anarchist leanings who blamed political leaders for his stomach pains and hardships.
• Plan: Zangara fired at Roosevelt during a speech in Miami, Florida. Roosevelt was unharmed, but Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was fatally wounded.

4.Harry S. Truman (33rd President)

• Attempt: November 1, 1950, by Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola.
• Masterminds: Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, Puerto Rican nationalists seeking to draw attention to the Puerto Rican independence movement.
• Plan: Collazo and Torresola attempted to storm Blair House, where Truman was staying. A gunfight ensued, and Torresola was killed, while Collazo was captured. Truman was unharmed.

5.Gerald Ford (38th President)

• Attempts:
  • September 5, 1975: By Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme.
  • Mastermind: Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson who sought to make a statement about environmental issues.
  • Plan: Fromme aimed a gun at Ford in Sacramento, California, but it did not fire. She was quickly subdued.
  • September 22, 1975: By Sara Jane Moore.
  • Mastermind: Sara Jane Moore, a radical with connections to leftist groups who sought to disrupt the government.
  • Plan: Moore fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco, California, but a bystander intervened, causing the shot to miss.

6.Ronald Reagan (40th President)

• Attempt: March 30, 1981, by John Hinckley Jr.
• Mastermind: John Hinckley Jr., who was obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and believed that assassinating Reagan would impress her.
• Plan: Hinckley shot Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. Reagan was seriously wounded but recovered after surgery. Several others were also injured in the attack.

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