On April 14, 1865 — just days after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee — Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth while the president and his wife attended the comedic play "Our American Cousin." Booth, himself a famous stage actor at the time, entered the box where the Lincolns and their guests were seated and waited for a moment in the play he knew would elicit a big laugh, according to Britannica.
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On April 14, 1865 — just days after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee — Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth while the president and his wife attended the comedic play "Our American Cousin." Booth, himself a famous stage actor at the time, entered the box where the Lincolns and their guests were seated and waited for a moment in the play he knew would elicit a big laugh, according to Britannica.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated on the night of April 15, 1865, according to History. That is an undeniable and unimpeachable fact about which there is no ambiguity in the annals of American history. Further, it's known for certain that he was shot and killed at Ford's Theatre while he watched a play — "Our American Cousin" — slain by a disgruntled actor and Confederate sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth. The actor jumped from the president's box seat, injuring his ankle in the process while the audience laughed, thinking it was part of the show. Meanwhile, the fatally injured president was taken to a boarding house across the street, where he later died.
Given the nature of politics and power, it's no surprise that assassination is commonplace, regardless of where in the world you look. Over the years, hundreds of leaders and political figures have been killed in murderous plots that changed the course of history. And while developed countries like the United States see less, there have still been many attempts to execute the powerful — namely, presidents. But only four schemes were successful — the killings of James A. Garfield, William McKinley, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy. Those last two, in particular, share some chilling connections.
Thomas J. Craughwell was a historian and the author of "Stealing Lincoln's Body," and once wrote of Abraham Lincoln's funeral, "There were so many memorable moments along the way that it would be the labor of a lifetime to catalog them all." And that's not entirely surprising: Sure, there was no social media or internet to spread news and photos fast, but for a country still reeling from the division and death of the Civil War, the assassination of the president sent countless people reeling — and searching for ways to process grief and shock.
There are some historical figures who loom so large in our collective mind that it can be difficult to regard them as fully human. Take Abraham Lincoln: The man has been so mythologized, has become such an icon of sober leadership and eloquent patriotism, that the archetype becomes all we know. It's easy to overlook the canny and complicated politicking Lincoln employed to preserve the Union and strengthen the federal government, and easier still to forget he was a man of good humor, a husband in a loving but difficult marriage, and a doting father.
An insight into the moments, events, and people that have contributed to America's evolution, progress, and missteps.
