AG百家乐在线官网

Explainer

Trump assassination attempt: Here's a list of US presidents and candidates who also escaped death - and those who didn't

The United States of America has a long history of assassinations and plots to kill the president or those who want to enter the White House.

Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy.
Pic: AP
Image: Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy. Pics: AP
Why you can trust Sky News

There is a bloody history of US presidential assassination attempts: four US presidents have been killed, others targeted, and a number of candidates as well.

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, who escaped with a bullet wound to his ear while he was speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, joins a long list of moments of extreme political violence.

Andrew Jackson

An illustrative etching shows Richard Lawrence's attempt to assassinate President Andrew Jackson in January 1835. Pic: US Library of Congress/Handout via Reuters
Image: An illustrative etching shows Richard Lawrence's attempt to assassinate President Andrew Jackson in January 1835. Pic: US Library of Congress/Handout via Reuters

Andrew Jackson was the first American president to experience an assassination attempt on 30 January 1835.

The seventh president of the United States was leaving the Capitol building in Washington DC when he was confronted by a man aiming a pistol at him - which misfired.

According to reports, Jackson confronted the gunman - unemployed house painter Richard Lawrence - hitting him several times with his walking stick.

Lawrence pulled out a second pistol and misfired again. He was detained by Jackson's aides.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln. Pic: AP
Image: Abraham Lincoln. Pic: AP

One of the key moments in American political history is the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on 14 April 1865.

He was the first American president to be assassinated after being shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth.

The American Civil War was over and President Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States and a Republican, had the task of reuniting and rebuilding a divided nation without slavery.

One evening, he was watching the popular comedy Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC with his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, when Booth snuck into the presidential box and shot him in the back of the head.

Pic: Granger/Shutterstock
Image: Pic: Granger/Shutterstock

Booth leapt from the box and yelled "sic semper tyrannist!" - the Virginia state motto meaning "thus always to tyrants" - at the audience.

Lincoln was taken to a house across the street from the theatre for medical treatment. He died the next morning at the age of 56.

Pic:Granger/Shutterstock
Image: Pic: Granger/Shutterstock

His support for black rights has been cited as a motive behind the killing. Two years before the shooting, President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation granting freedom to slaves within the Confederacy.

Booth was shot and killed on 26 April 1865, after he was found hiding in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia.

James Garfield

James Garfield. Pic: Reuters
Image: James Garfield. Pic: Reuters

James Garfield was the second president to be assassinated - by a disgruntled Republican constituent - six months after taking office, while walking through Baltimore and Potomac train station in Washington on 2 July 1881.

The former Union general and Ohio congressman, who became the 20th US president, was on his way to catch a train to New England when he was shot by Charles Guiteau.

Guiteau fired two shots at the president - one grazed his right arm, the other struck him in the lower back.

Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, tried unsuccessfully to find the bullet lodged in President Garfield using a device he designed specifically for the president.

The mortally wounded president lay at the White House for several weeks and died in September after he was taken to the New Jersey shore.

Guiteau was found guilty and executed in June 1882.

William McKinley

William McKinley. Pic: AP
Image: William McKinley. Pic: AP

William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, was shot six months after the inauguration of his second term.

He had just given a speech in Buffalo, New York, on 6 September 1901 and was shaking hands with people passing through a receiving line outside the Temple of Music when a man fired two shots into his chest at point-blank range.

William McKinley was assassinated at the Temple of Music, at the Pan American Exposition building in Buffalo, New York. Pic: AP
Image: President McKinley was assassinated at the Temple of Music, at the Pan American Exposition building in Buffalo, New York. Pic: AP

"There was an instant of almost complete silence, like the hush that follows a clap of thunder," the New York Times later wrote.

"The president stood stock still, a look of hesitancy, almost of bewilderment, on his face. Then he retreated a step while a pallor began to steal over his features. The multitude seemed only partially aware that something serious had happened."

Doctors had expected President McKinley to recover - but gangrene then set in around his bullet wounds and brought on a severe case of blood poisoning. He died eight days later on 14 September 1901, with his wife Ida by his side.

A police mug shot of Leon F Czolgosz. Pic: AP
Image: A police mug shot of Leon F Czolgosz. Pic: AP

Leon F Czolgosz, an unemployed Detroit resident and self-proclaimed anarchist, admitted to the shooting.

The 28-year-old was found guilty at trial and put to death in the electric chair on 29 October 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt campaigning in 1912. Pic: AP
Image: Theodore Roosevelt campaigning in 1912. Pic: AP

Theodore Roosevelt was in Milwaukee while campaigning to return to the White House having previously served two terms as president.

Running again as a third-party candidate, he was getting into his car outside the Gilpatrick Hotel on 14 October 1912 when he was shot.

Folded papers and a metal glasses case in his pocket apparently blunted the bullet's impact and Roosevelt, frequently referred to as Teddy, or TR, was not seriously hurt.

According to reports he ordered his aides get him to the Milwaukee Auditorium where he was due to give a speech, and told his audience, "Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible", before delivering the bombshell: "I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot."

He continued: "Fortunately I had my manuscript, so you see I was going to make a long speech, and there is a bullet - there is where the bullet went through - and it probably saved me from it going into my heart. The bullet is in me now, so I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best."

Only after the speech did he agree to be taken to hospital and recovered from the attack.

John Schrank was arrested over the shooting and spent the remainder of his life in mental hospitals.

Franklin D Roosevelt

President Franklin D Roosevelt speaking in Miami, Florida, just before the attempt on his life. Pic: AP
Image: President Franklin D Roosevelt speaking in Miami, Florida, just before the attempt on his life. Pic: AP

Franklin D Roosevelt was the president-elect and had just given a speech in Miami, Florida, from the back of an open car when gunshots rang out.

The 32nd president of the United States was not injured in the 15 February 1933 shooting.

All five gunshots missed him - but did hit bystanders. Four received minor injuries, but one fatally wounded Chicago mayor Anton Cermak.

Guiseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant and unemployed bricklayer was convicted in the shooting and sentenced to death.

Giuseppe Zangara in a prison cell in Miami, Florida, on 17 February 1933 after his attempt to assassinate US president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Pic: AP
Image: Giuseppe Zangara in a prison cell in Miami, Florida, on 17 February 1933 after his attempt to assassinate US president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Pic: AP

Shooting from about 25 feet away, reports suggested he missed because he was only 5ft 1in tall and had to climb up on a wobbly chair to see over the crowd. A woman stood near him also claimed to have hit his hand during the shooting.

Harry S Truman

The 33rd president of the United States was staying at Blair House, across the street from the White House which was being renovated, when two gunmen broke in on 1 November 1950.

Blair House on the day of the shooting.. Pic: AP
Image: Blair House on the day of the shooting. Pic: AP

President Truman and his wife were upstairs when they heard gunshots - fired by would-be assassins Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo.

They escaped unscathed, but a White House policeman and one of the assailants - Torresola - were killed in an exchange of gunfire. Two other White House policemen were wounded.

Torresola and Collazo were political activists and members of the extremist Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, a group fighting for full independence from the US.

Oscar Collazo (centre) during his trial in Washington on 28 February 1951. Pic: AP
Image: Oscar Collazo (centre) during his trial in Washington on 28 February 1951. Pic: AP

Collazo was arrested and sentenced to death.

In 1952, President Truman commuted the sentence to life in prison.

He was released from jail in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter.

John F Kennedy

Moments before John F Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963. Pic: Reuters
Image: Moments before John F Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963. Pic: Reuters

The assassination of President John F Kennedy is perhaps the most famous of all time.

The 46-year-old was fatally shot by hidden assassin Lee Harvey Oswald who was armed with a high-powered rifle.

The 35th president was travelling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-topped car with his wife Jackie on 22 November 1963.

Shots rang out as the president's motorcade turned past the Texas School Book Depository at Dealey Plaza as crowds lined the streets.

President Kennedy was shot in the neck and head and was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he died soon after.

He was succeeded by vice president Lyndon B Johnson, who was sworn into office in a conference room aboard Air Force One - the only president to take the oath of office on an airplane.

Hours after the assassination, police arrested Oswald after finding a sniper's perch in the Texas School Book Depository.

Lee Harvey Oswald surrounded by detectives talks to the press before another round of questioning at Dallas police station the day after the shooting. Pic: AP
Image: Lee Harvey Oswald surrounded by detectives talks to the press before another round of questioning at Dallas police station the day after the shooting. Pic: AP

Two days later, Oswald was being taken from police headquarters to the county jail when Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby rushed forward and fatally shot him on live TV.

Robert F Kennedy

Robert F Kennedy in August 1964. Pic: AP
Image: Robert F Kennedy in August 1964. Pic: AP

The brother of President John F Kennedy was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination when he was killed at a Los Angeles hotel.

The 42-year-old US senator from New York was shot in a kitchen corridor outside the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel - moments after his victory speech for winning the 1968 California primary.

Five other people were wounded in the 5 June 1968 shooting. Kennedy died the next day.

Senator Robert F Kennedy moments after he was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on 5 June 1968. Pic: AP
Image: Senator Robert F Kennedy moments after he was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on 5 June 1968. He died the next day. Pic: AP

Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

That was commuted to life in prison, where Sirhan remains after his latest petition for release was denied last year.

George C Wallace

George C. Wallace in October 1964. Pic: AP
Image: George C Wallace in October 1964. Pic: AP

George C Wallace was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination when he was shot during a campaign stop in Maryland on 15 May 1972.

The incident left him paralysed from the waist down.

George C Wallace two days after the shooting in a Maryland hospital with his wife Cornelia. Pic:  AP
Image: George C Wallace two days after the shooting in a Maryland hospital with his wife Cornelia. Pic: AP

The governor of Alabama was known for his segregationist views, which he later renounced.

Arthur Bremer, 21, was convicted in the shooting and sentenced to prison. He was released in 2007.

Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford in the Oval Office at the White House in March 1975. Pic: Reuters
Image: Gerald Ford in the Oval Office at the White House in March 1975. Pic: Reuters

The 38th president faced two assassination attempts within weeks and escaped both uninjured.

The first attempt took place on 5 September 1975 while Ford was on his way to a meeting with California's governor in Sacramento when Charles Manson disciple Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme pushed through a crowd in the street, drew a semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at Ford. The gun wasn't fired.

Fromme was sentenced to prison and released in 2009.

Seventeen days later, Sara Jane Moore confronted the president outside a hotel in San Francisco.

Moore fired one shot and missed. A bystander grabbed her arm as Moore attempted a second shot.

She was sent to prison and released in 2007.

Ronald Reagan

President Ronald Reagan is shoved into his limousine by secret service agents after being shot outside a Washington hotel on 30 March 1981. Pic: AP
Image: President Ronald Reagan is shoved into his limousine by secret service agents after being shot outside the Washington Hilton Hotel on 30 March 1981. Pic: AP

Ronald Reagan was leaving a speech in Washington DC and walking to his motorcade when he was shot by John Hinckley Jr who was in the crowd outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Hinckley fired six shots - hitting the 40th president of the United States and three others including President Reagan's press secretary, James Brady, who was partially paralysed as a result.

Secret Service agents wrestle with suspect John Hinckley Jr after the shooting. Pic: AP
Image: Secret Service agents wrestle with suspect John Hinckley Jr after the shooting. Pic: AP

President Reagan, apparently unaware that he'd been shot, was shoved into his limousine by a Secret Service agent and rushed to hospital.

The 70-year-old was shot in the left lung - the bullet just missing his heart - and survived the assassination attempt.

According to reports, as he was treated and prepared for surgery, he said to his wife Nancy, "Honey, I forgot to duck" - and to his surgeons, "Please tell me you're Republicans".

Hinckley was arrested and confined to a mental hospital after a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity over the shooting.

In 2022, Hinckley was freed from court oversight after a judge determined he was "no longer a danger to himself or others".

George W Bush

US President George W. Bush was giving a speech in Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, when a grenade was hurled toward him from the crowd. Pic: AP
Image: US President George W Bush was giving a speech in Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, when a grenade was hurled toward him from the crowd. Pic: AP

The 43rd president was attending a rally in Tbilisi on 10 May 2005 with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili when a hand grenade was thrown toward him.

Both men were behind a bulletproof barrier when the grenade, wrapped in cloth, landed about 100 feet away.

The grenade did not explode, and no one was hurt.

Suspect Vladimir Arutyunian in hospital in Tbilisi, Georgia, following his arrest. Pic: AP/Georgian Interior Ministry via APTN
Image: Suspect Vladimir Arutyunian in hospital in Tbilisi, Georgia, following his arrest. Pic: AP/Georgian Interior Ministry via APTN

Vladimir Arutyunian was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.