Over the past few years, there have been several famous people who have lost their lives in very bizarre ways. Some killed themselves, while others were murdered by someone else. Others had things go wrong due to health or personal issues. But none of these deaths qualifies as what I would call an “assassination” because they did not attempt to kill or harm the victim outside of the initial event.
I will give you some examples of this and then we will talk about it.
Kurt Cobain took his own life just months after he released his final album. He shot himself in the mouth with a shotgun at his home in Seattle, Washington.
A week later, A-list actor Johnathan Harker was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head at his home in Hollywood, California. Police determined that the death was accidental, but investigations are ongoing.
Actor Frank Grillo died suddenly at the age of 46 back in May. Grilled suffered heart failure during a workout. An autopsy revealed no signs of foul play, or anything drug related.
And lastly, Robin Williams passed away in November surrounded by family. The coroner listed his cause of death as a suicide caused by asphyxia. This means he could not breathe properly and thusly spent all of his energy trying to find relief.
These men all placed themselves in situations where they knew they might die.
Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th president, was shot in 1865 during the Civil War. He died three days later, making him one of the oldest people ever elected President.
On April 14, while he gave his second inaugural address as president-elect, he was approached by an unidentified man who pulled out a pistol and fired two shots at him.
The first hit Lincoln under his left arm near his elbow, causing minor pain but no significant damage. The second entered his right hip, lodging there for several minutes before coming out through his back.
He was taken home where he spent the night in bed with his wife. The next day, he passed away from complications due to both wounds.
Although many theories have been proposed as to why the shooter wanted to kill Lincoln, none have been confirmed. It is still debated whether the murderer intended to hurt or even kill the president.
Many believe that the shooter did not know what would happen once he opened fire, which makes it harder to determine if his action constituted attempted murder or just plain old vandalism.
Since this happened over a hundred years ago, we do not have clear pictures or videos of the event so determining who the shooter is has proved difficult. People claim to recognize the gunman, but nothing corroborated has surfaced.
On November 22, 1963, just over half an hour after leaving his hotel for an event in Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in downtown Dallas.
Up until that moment, he had been surrounded by an enormous crowd of well-wishers who were celebrating what they perceived as his successful re-election campaign earlier that day. Many people even said they wanted to see him run for president again.
But within minutes of arriving at Connally Park Amphitheater, where he was scheduled to give a speech, several shots rang out. A man got out of a car with a rifle and fired at close range at least twice before being tackled by bystanders.
The first shot hit Kennedy directly in the head, killing him almost instantly. The shooter then ran away and escaped.
As more people gathered around the body, someone called out, “Kennedy has been shot!” This led many witnesses to believe there had been another attempted assassination — this time not only of the president but also of the speaker he was about to address.
Many people feel that surviving such a shooting is proof that you are protected or blessed because God does not want you to be killed like Mr Kennedy.
However, this isn't always the case. While some survivors say they felt special protection from Heaven while recovering, most tell us that it didn't make much difference.
On March 30, 1981, Pre, President Ronald Reagan was shot while speaking at an outdoor rally in Washington D.C. The shooter fired three bullets from less than two feet away. One hit his protective vest, one lodged in his left arm, and another broke his right elbow.
The attacker fled the scene immediately after the shooting. There were many theories about who pulled the trigger and why, but none of them has been confirmed.
Most believe that it was done for political reasons. Some say that the gunman was motivated by racism or anti-Semitism. Many people feel that he was acting as a hired gun for the Soviet Union.
However, no solid evidence has ever come out proving any of these claims. It is also possible that someone wanted to make sure Reagan didn’t get reelected and therefore paid the assassin to shoot him.
When you declare someone or something as “f–k-up”, it usually doesn't take long for them to prove you wrong. In the field say that once you've been called out, there's not enough time left in the world to back down before making headlines.
That was the case with Adolf Hitler. His accusers never allowed him to defend himself – he was always spoken about in glowing terms, even after his death.
He was described as brilliant, and powerful-willed. Even those who fought against him had nothing but praise when they discussed him later. That is why it comes as no surprise that he is one of the most assassinated people in history.
Hitler has the dubious honour of being both a victim and assassin. He spent his life trying to be recognized and accepted by other people, only to have those same people try to kill him. It is his place in historical lore, however, that makes him more than just another fallen leader.
In February 1976, Chairman Mao died at the age of 81. While his passing was heavily reported across China and the world, few outside of China knew who ordered the assassination.
The most likely culprit is Deng Xiaoping, one of the main architects of the communist takeover in 1949. Deng had been sidelined from power since he disagreed with the radical economic reforms carried out by Jiang Zemin (also known as “Dictator” Jiang), Mao’s chosen successor.
When Deng regained influence in the mid-1970s, he decided that Mao must be removed for ideological reasons. He organized a group of powerful politicians and military officials to carry out the murder.
Some sources claim that Liu Boxing, an army general under Deng, personally shot Mao, but this has never been proven. To this day, no one knows for sure which officers fired their guns or how many times.
What we do know is that two people were arrested soon after the death — Xu Qing and Zhang Taiyan. Both men claimed they acted alone and said nothing during their trial. They both received light sentences and spent only a year in prison before being released.
In April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis attending a conference for non-profit organizations when he received word that his plane had been can cancelled to bad weather.
King decided to stay at the hotel where the conference was being held instead. While staying there, he met with local clergy about upcoming events and gave a short speech before returning to his room.
Around this time, several workers from the airport were talking about rumours they heard surrounding an alleged attempt by members of the Black Panther party to kill Dr King. These stories included reports of someone shooting out his window and throwing a gun away, as well as talk of poisoning him.
One source claimed she overheard someone saying, “I’ve got a rifle here and I’m just waiting for the right moment to shoot Dr King.”
While passing through the lobby of the hotel later that night, King noticed two men who appeared to be drinking together. He walked over and asked if they would like something to drink, but they declined, and one said goodnight without greeting him.
A few days earlier, these individuals had made similar comments about killing King and now they didn't greet him nor did they seem drunk. However, another person walking past them saw what seemed like a pistol in their hand and called the police.
In June of 2018, 66-year-old John Earnest attempted to kill Hillary Clinton with a gun at an outdoor event in Los Angeles.
He was arrested two days later after confessing to bringing his rifle into the venue and buying the ammunition online. He reportedly told police that he wanted to “do something significant” for Trump.
The media reported that Earnest had no connection to any political groups and was not known to law enforcement or anyone else involved in politics. However, this is a very common tactic used by assassins because it creates confusion about who their target is.
By claiming ignorance, they can spread distrust and worry about personal safety among those close to the targeted individual. This makes people more vulnerable and exposed which helps the assassin’s goal of creating chaos.
On September 17, 2018, just one week before President Donald Trump was set to attend an event at a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, someone attempted to shoot him. The gunman opened fire outside of the entrance of the rally but failed to hit anyone.
The attacker left the scene immediately after the incident and is now facing federal charges for his actions. His name has been released as Connor Betts, 24, from Bellbrook, Ohio. He died hours later from gunshot wounds he sustained during the attack.
It is important to note that while this shooter did not succeed in killing or injuring President Trump, he still made attempted to do so, he put himself in a very exclusive group- people who wanted to kill the president.
By trying to take away President Trump’s life, he showed how much death and destruction his leadership style can cause. It also exposed his lack of fear in the face of such violence and threats towards him.
While it may sound crazy to some, there are many people out there who want to hurt the leader of their country. This includes disgruntled former employees, political opponents and even members of the public who do not like what the president says or does.
