An assassination is a murder of an individual, who is usually a famous celebrity, politician, religious figure or royal. Usually in cases of assassination there is a clear motive – jealousy, political or religious idealism, contract killing, revenge etc. This list outlines the circumstances surrounding the death of 10 of the most famous successful assassinations in world history.
10. Alexander Litvinenko Wikipedia
Alexander Litvinenko was a Russian KGB agent, turned dissident and possible MI6 agent. On November 1st 2006, Litvinenko fell ill after eating at the London sushi restaurant Itsu. He had been receiving evidence about another murder while he was eating at the restaurant. On November 3rd, Litvinenko’s condition deteriorated and he was rushed to Barnet General Hospital in London. He died three weeks after his hospitalisation suffering from acute radiation syndrome spawned from exposure to the radioactive polonium-210. The incident gained huge worldwide media coverage, probably due to the similarities in the case to Hollywood spy movies. It is now accepted that Litvinenko was poisoned by a cup of tea in his hotel room. No one has been convicted of the murder; however, there are suspicions of Russian government involvement. Litvinenko died aged 44.
9. Lee Harvey Oswald Wikipedia
Lee Harvey Oswald was a former marine who the United States government claim was responsible for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Whether or not this is true, Oswald was himself assassinated two days after the fatal shooting of the President in the basement of the Dallas Police Headquarters by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner with links to organised crime. Ruby had apparently been upset and angered by the murder of the President and had sought revenge. Oswald was shot on November 24th 1963 and died later that evening, aged 24.
8. John Lennon Wikipedia
John Lennon was one of the founding members of The Beatles, who had gone on to have worldwide success as a member of the band, and also as a peace activist. On December 8th 1980, Lennon was in New York City. As he was returning to his hotel that evening a man shouted his name. As Lennon turned around, the man shot Lennon four times. Lennon then stumbled into the hotel and collapsed. While this was taking place, the assassin Mark David Chapman dropped his weapon and sat on the street, waiting to be arrested. He was charged with murder and remains in prison to this day. His motivation for the murder is unclear.
7. Robert F. Kennedy Wikipedia
US Senator Robert F. Kennedy was the younger brother of John F. Kennedy. He was shot in the early hours of June 5th 1968 by a man named Sirhan Sirhan. A day later, Kennedy died in hospital. Kennedy had been shot four times at point-blank range. RFK as he was sometimes known had been a Presidential Candidate for the Democratic Party. It is unknown what Sirhan’s motivation for killing Kennedy was, however, it is assumed he was a Palestinian terrorist seeking revenge for the US support of Israel in the Six Day’s War of 1967. Kennedy died aged 42.
6. Malcolm X Wikipedia
Malcolm X, also known as Malcolm Little was an American black Muslim minister. He is often seen as the man behind the Black Power movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s in which African Americans radicalised and became driven toward freedom and towards gaining the respect of their fellow Americans. Malcolm had previously been a member of the Nation of Islam, however, he had become a Sunni Muslim. Apparently, following this, the Nation of Islam had given orders for the assassination of Malcolm X. On February 21st 1965, Malcolm had begun giving a speech when a man rushed through the crowd and shot Malcolm X with a sawn-off shotgun. Two other men joined in and Malcolm was shot a total of 16 times. The three men who killed Malcolm X were all members of the Nation of Islam. Despite often being labelled as a cold-hearted radical and a menace, the world was sympathetic towards Malcolm following his assassination. Malcolm X died aged 39.
5. Martin Luther King Jr. Wikipedia
Martin Luther King was the main man behind the American Civil Rights Movement. The movement was an attempt to abolish the racial discrimination of African Americans. King himself was black. On April 4th 1968, while standing on the balcony of his second floor motel room, King was fatally shot. Following the assassination there were riots in over 60 cities across the USA, and five days later, President Johnson declared a day of mourning. Two months later, escaped convict James Earl Ray was captured in London, and was extradited to Tennessee where he faced the a charge of murder against King. Ray was a white man who was opposed the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
4. Abraham Lincoln Wikipedia
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, and held tenure from 1861 until his death in 1865. John Wilkes Booth was a Confederate spy, who had become angry at the President because of his support for the freedoms of African Americans. He became determined to assassinate Lincoln. On April 14th 1865, Lincoln was going to the theatre. With the presence of only one bodyguard wandering through the theatre, Booth seized his opportunity. He waited until laughter filled the theatre and shot the President in the head. Booth escaped, but was caught and fatally shot twelve days later. Lincoln was aged 56 at the time of his death.
3. Julius Caesar Wikipedia
Julius Caesar was a Roman political and military figure in the 1st century B.C. He was a successful military leader and following considerable success he started a civil war in the Roman Republic. Following this, he was proclaimed dictator. However, some senators in Rome were disillusioned by what Caesar had done, and so planned an assassination to take place on the Ides of March. While walking past the Theatre of Pompey, Caesar was stopped by a group of Senators to read a fake bill which was allegedly to give power back to the Senate. As Caesar did this, he was stabbed. According to historical evidence, there were as many as 60 Senators present. After Caesar was stabbed he tried to run away, but fell and was stabbed repeatedly on the floor. He had 23 stab wounds. His death marked the end of the Roman Republic, and out of the bloody aftermath emerged the Roman Empire. At the time of his death, Caesar was 57 years old.
2. Franz Ferdinand Wikipedia
Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand, and therefore heir to the Austrian throne is largely considered to be the catalyst for the beginning of World War I. On June 28th 1914 he was on a visit to Sarajevo, which was at that time a territory of Austria. While riding in an open-top car, he and his wife Sophie were shot by members of The Black Hand which was a Serbian group attempting to gain independence for all the states annexed by Austria-Hungary. World War I began two months after the assassination, with Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. This declaration of war started a domino effect across Europe in which all the allies of Serbia declared war on Austria-Hungary and all of its allies. At the time of his murder, Ferdinand had been 50 years old.
1. John F. Kennedy Wikipedia
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. He served from January 20th 1961 until his death on November 22nd 1963. His Presidency was one of the most event-filled of the 20th century. The space race, American Civil Rights Movement, Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, and the beginning of the Vietnam War all took place during his Presidency. Despite there being hundreds of witnesses to his assassination there is a lot of confusion surrounding Kennedy’s death to this day, leading many to suspect a conspiracy. Just before 12:30pm, Kennedy was travelling through Dallas in his open-top limousine. Three shots were then fired from a high-powered rifle, which all entered the president. Kennedy died soon after in hospital. Lee Harvey Oswald (see number 10) was charged with the murder of the President. This assassination in particular has had many conspiracies theorists, especially considering the until he died, Oswald maintained his innocence. Among those who have been accused are the FBI, Cuba, the CIA or the USSR. Many believe that there could have been a conspiracy among these groups. There has never been any conclusive evidence to prove that Oswald acted alone, or if he was even involved in the murder. Despite numerous investigations, the death is still shrouded in mystery.
Bonus: Mohandas Gandhi Wikipedia
On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was shot and killed while having his nightly public walk on the grounds of the Birla Bhavan (Birla House) in New Delhi. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, was a Hindu radical with links to the extremist Hindu Mahasabha, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a payment to Pakistan. Godse and his co-conspirator Narayan Apte were later tried and convicted; they were executed on 15 November 1949. Gandhi’s memorial at Rāj Ghāt, New Delhi, bears the epigraph “Hē Ram”, which may be translated as “Oh God”. These are widely believed to be Gandhi’s last words after he was shot, though the veracity of this statement has been disputed.
This article is licensed under the GFDL. It uses material from the Wikipedia articles cited above.
contributor: Ryan
Why did this list start off naming the assassins and end up naming the assassinated? The titles I mean….or am seeing things… awww hell
You were probably confused with number 9, Oswald was actually assassinated by Jack Ruby. Since Oswald had become a big media and political figure for assassinating JFK, people usually call oswald's murder an assassination. Oh and just a cool fact I noticed: JFK, Oswald, and Ruby all died at the same hospital.
This article needs editing in general.
Lee Harvey Oswald is number 9.
oops! corrected. thanks.
What about Ghandi eh?
Yeah, I agree with James…we want Ghandi!! =p Good list otherwise though.
Rayvn
Lee Harvey Oswald was captured as JFK’s killer and then he himself was killed by Jack Ruby.
or something like that.
and comments is the place to add your picks for more inclusions…like Gandhi.
I am sorry. My eyes were acting up. This apple pie is hitting me good.
I wouldn’t have put 10, 9, or 8 in the list. “Assassinations” usually involve political motives or idealogical incentives, anything else is plain old murder. Lennon was killed by some crazed fan in glasses. Ruby killed Oswald because he was *****ed about JFK getting hit. The Russian fella was killed to cover up another murder. You might as well have put Selena on the list. Gandhi, McKinley, Napoleon, Sadat, Ahmad Shah Massoud, and 7 through 1 on the list…those fellas were assassinated
I’ve alway been interested in assassinations and assassins, good list.
Lenin and Ghandi! (Never thought they’d be in the same sentence)
Am I a freak in saying that there is a sort-of romanticism connected with assassinations(or assassinators) in our history here?
Just the 60′s
i feel Gandhi should be on the list
also indira gandhi and rajiv gandhi
yeah ghandi was the first thing i thought of after reading this he should be in there
Okay – Gandhi is now on as a bonus
For the record, name of Franz Ferdinand killer was Gavrilo Princip. Earlier that day, organization called Young Bosnia (small hand of Black Hand) placed 7 members along the line where Franz car would go. One managed to toss a bomb on the Franz car passing by, but the driver increased speed, and bomb exploded under next car, wounding passengers and several bystanders.
The parade was stopped, and the assasination attempt seemed to have failed. However, later that day Franz decided to visit wounded from the bomb blast. The driver took the wrong turn, and when he realized that, he stopped the car just in front of cafe where Gavrilo Princip went to buy sandwich. Driver tried to reverse the car, but the machine stalled, and Gavrilo managed to shot Franz and his wife Sophie from 5 feet distance.
Bjesomar: thanks for that information – very interesting. Just imagine how different the world might be now if it weren’t for that assassination.
jfrater: I was wondering that myself while I was writing this, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that the war would have still happened. I think that by this stage war in Europe was inevitable. What might have been different may have been the initial participants though.
mike: I see what you are saying about some of them not being clear-cut assassinations. Ruby went out with the clear intent to get revenge, and so he murdered Oswald. But Litvinenko? I think it is one of the most glamourised assassinations ever! It is made even worse that it is caught up in international affairs. There are at least THREE different governments that have been implicated in the murder. I can almost guarantee that there will be a movie made in a few years about that killing. I also think that in 10 years, Litvinenko will be much higher on this list once more of the story unravels.
For all those that have mentioned Ghandi, I do apologise. He definately should have been on the list. I really just didn’t think of him while I was making it.
Ryan: In those days, Austro-Hungary and Germany were looking for any type of excuse to continue their Drive toward East policy (Drang nach Ostem), so if the assasination failed, i’m sure ther would be soon some other more-less manufactured cause to the war.
why are all the good people assanated…why didnt someone get to hitler, Mussolini, Sharon….
zubair: they were just lucky I guess. Both Hitler and Mussolini survived assassination attempts. To be fair though, I don’t think claiming Mussolini as a bad person is particularly fitting. I think he started off reasonably well and with good intentions – it was only after Mussolini became subordinate to Hitler that he really went wrong.
in the case of hitler, the allies planned several assination attempts using snipers but decided not to try them. their reasing was hitler would bring about the downfall of germany faster himself then if they killed him.
Im not much of a conspiracy person, but the JFK one is interesting. Oswald supposedly fired 3 or 4 shots in about 3 seconds with an old bolt action rifle, scoring 3 hits, including a head shot on a moving target at range. Either somethings not right here or he was an incredible marksmen. plus the whole back and to the left movement of JFKs head. i dont really have a comment on who’s behind it, but too me theres got to be a second shooter.
Im a target shooter. I fire semi automatic ar-15 based rifles, and firing 4 shots in under 3 seconds at a distant target is somewhat difficult, but i dont have to manually work the action with a semiauto. and because its a small recoil caliber, i dont have to reaquire the target much after each shot. Now with a bolt action and a decently large caliber, thats not the case. You pretty much are forced to reaquire the target after each shot because of the movement to work the action and the recoil of the round. extremely impressive shooting if all shots came from a single shooter.
Ryan: I guess I don’t know enough about Litvinenko. I heard that it was a hit to cover up a murder…but I could have heard wrong.
I just had a little problem with the word “Successful” in the list title because that word is so subjective. (Maybe this was to distinguish it from attempted)
I’m glad you added Gandhi to the list. I also think the order of importance depends greatly on where you live in the world.
As far as JFK I think if you look at ALL of the evidence & read ALL of the material without an agenda in mind it is pretty clear that Oswald was the only assassin. (Just my two cents)
I would also mention the assassination of the Empress of the Korean Empire by Miura Goro in the late 1800′s. It played a key role in the annexation of the Korean peninsula and further expanding the Japanese Empire during its height of power…
I dont think Ghandi was ever an assassin.
Did you know that the pillow in the room in which a dying Lincoln layed his head apon ( a doctor’s residence across from ford theater) is encased in a plexi glass coffin and will be pointed out to by eager tour guides? “–if you look there (points at pillow) you can still see a small drop of blood from Abraham Lincoln.”
This is true.
Diogenes: this is a list of people successfully assassinated – not assassins
Gandhi was assassinated.
how come itzak rabin did not make d list?
I think “successful” may be a bit of a misnomer here. If I was Lee Harvey Oswald and planned to assassinate JFK, I would consider being caught and then shot 2 days later rather “unsuccessful.”
I don’t know Barrett. JFK would be just as dead if Oswald wasn’t caught. Every assassin in the list (minus #10) was caught or killed.
10x 4 da bonus
varma: welcome
Barrett: If an assassin succeeds in their objective of killing their target then I’d say that they’re successful.
Jfrater, you should look into Alexander II of Russia’s assassination. Last I recall, the method was similar to Arch Duke Ferdinand’s and was a great tragedy for the Russian people. Had he lived, Russia would have gotten a elected parliament and moved closer to becoming a Constitutional Monarchy like Britain. Russia also became increasingly anti-jewish due to one of the assassins being of Jewish origin. Possibly worse than not getting a elected parliament, was the fact that Alexander III and Nicholas II both witnessed his death personally, causing them to grow paranoid of their future people; ordering more brutal methods of control out of fear they would befall a similar fate to Alexander II, ultimately contributing to the Russian Revolution!
Brian Moo: I was not aware of all of that history – thanks for mentioning it. I will definitely do some research on Alexander II.
AWWW! THEY ARE ALL CUTY ASSASSINATIONS BUT I COULD CHOSE UMMMMMMMMM “MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr”
MimI: I don’t really understand your comment – MLK is on the list.
As far as I know, Chapman actually had a motive: he wanted Lennons fame and thought he would gain it by killing him! … Guess we all make mistakes sometimes eh?
Denashi: I hadn’t heard that before – what a crazy guy he was.
you guys are *****in weird.
Actually… #9 is the isn’t Lee Harvey Oswald, it is the CIA. Go to google and look up JFK real killer.
It’s as clear as day that the driver shot him.
Don’t be a typical American and dissagree with me. First, research and educate yourself, find the hard facts and then, only then, respond to my post.
I say this not out of anger or bias, but out of love for my brothers. Educate yourselves and learn the truth for our future and the future of our kids.
Matt,
You are a complete idiot and don't no anything. There is ample evidence that Oswald acted alone. Try reading Restoring History by Vincent Bugolosi and learn the difference between fact and fiction.
i no scoped jfk
Whoever assassinated Kennedy may never be known, but the fact is that he was only hit by two bullets, not three.
Also, John Lennon was not “in” New York City returning to a hotel. He lived in New York City and was returning to his penthouse atop the Dakota building on the west side of Central Park.
What about Dimebag Darrell from Pantera or Bob Marley?
People who are “apparently” the best and the greatest must always have done something wrong in their lives, or must have wronged someone in an unforgivable way, or must have,sometimes unintentionaly, destroyed the life of someone..and in this way they have made themselves a hidden bitter enemy and have found themselves an assassin to make them pay for the wrong they have done.Very often..this important part of the truth must have died and buried for ever with them and their assassins in their graves..and today we all wonder “WHY HAVE GOOD PEOPLE BEEN ASSASSINATED”?????
I believe no man on this earth will assassin a “hero”…merely for money.
love the sequence of order but i think that all these famous men who were doing good expect Lee Harvey Oswald should have stayed alive
thanxx fo info fool!
bless
Didn’t Chapman kill Lennon because he wanted to be known as “The Guy Who Killed John Lennon”?
oswald didnt kill kennedy. someone from the mafia did, i can’t remember his name, because kennedy had ties to the mafia and wasn’t living up to his word about protecting the mafia so they had him killed. and then they killed oswald so that the truth would not get out.
Camille,
You're a complete idiot. There isn't one bit of EVIDENCE trying anybody to the killing of JFK but Oswald.
camille: There a lot of different conpiracy theories out there concerning the JFK assassination. No one knows who it was, exactly, that shot Kennedy. I will say, however, that if you view the zapruder film frame by frame, Kennedy is indeed shot in the back of the head, as consistent with Oswalds relative position, not in the front of the head as most conspiracy theorists believe. I think it was Oswald that shot Kennedy, though I don’t believe he was a lone gunman and I believe there was a vast government coverup, which indicates some responsibility for the assassination on the part of the gov’t, and there *was* mafia involvement, with Oswald’s assassination by Jack Ruby.
I know exactly who killed JFK. It was Oswald and Oswald alone. I would be more than happy to send you my list of 50 FACTS that prove without a doubt that Oswald killed JFK. Try reading Restoring History by Vincent Bugolosi or try reading the ENTIRE Warren Report as I have.
Kennedy should not be on that list considering he could very well still be alive. You wonder why there is still so much controversy over his possible death after 40+ years. I suggest you switch Ghandi with JFK. Who knows..these days there is no truth anymore just lies and cover-ups. Hopefully Yellowstone will erupt and really make a *****ing impact on the human race. It has to be done soon.
what about rabin? what about that egyption (nasser? sdat?) who made peace with israel?
sadat (egypt)
rabin (israel)
2 more assassinations, remember?
arab suicide bombers kill jews and arabs too in their hurry to win 72 virgins.(IGNORANT!) may suicide bombers succeed in killing only themselves!
the first picture is also the poison picture on the suicide list.
i think…
hahaha
#11? – U.S. President William McKinley assassination
President McKinley attended the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He delivered a speech about his positions on tariffs and foreign trade on September 5, 1901. On the second day, McKinley was at the Temple of Music, greeting the public. Leon Frank Czolgosz waited in line with a pistol in his right hand concealed by a handkerchief. At 4:07 P.M. Czolgosz fired twice at the president. The first bullet grazed the president’s shoulder. The second, however, went through McKinley’s stomach, colon, and kidney, and finally lodged in the muscles of his back.
One bullet was easily found and extracted, but doctors were unable to locate the second bullet. It was feared that the search for the bullet, using the medical techniques of the time, might cause more harm than good. In addition, McKinley appeared to be recovering, so doctors decided to leave the bullet where it was.
The newly-developed X-ray machine was displayed at the fair, but doctors were reluctant to use it on McKinley to search for the bullet because they did not know what side effects it might have on him. The operating room at the exposition’s emergency hospital did not have any electric lighting, even though the exteriors of many of the buildings at the extravagant exposition were covered with thousands of light bulbs. The surgeons were unable to operate by candlelight because of the danger created by the flammable ether used to keep the president unconscious. So the doctors were forced to use pans instead to reflect sunlight onto the operating table while they treated McKinley’s wounds.
McKinley’s doctors believed he would recover, and the President convalesced for more than a week in Buffalo at the home of the exposition’s director. On the morning of 12 September, he felt strong enough to receive his first food orally since the shooting — toast and a small cup of coffee. However, by afternoon he began to experience discomfort and his condition rapidly worsened. McKinley began to go into shock. At 2:15 A.M. on September 14, 1901, eight days after he was shot, he died from gangrene surrounding his wounds. His last words were “It is God’s way; His will be done, not ours.” and he was buried in Canton, Ohio.
Czolgosz was later found guilty of murder, and was executed by electric chair at Auburn Prison on October 29, 1901.
I think it’s interesting that the assasination on Franz Ferdinand almost didn’t work out- the one who was originally going to shoot him failed. Then, later on, as Ferdinand was driving through a back alley, another person from the same group as the original shooter saw his chance and shot. It was a complete coincidence. I don’t remember the names of either one of them though.
Also, the John Lennon murder is still so sad
This list is very US centric.
There have been many Assassinations in the recent past that i can think of – Indira Gandhi & Rajiv Gandhi (Prime Ministers of India. They are NOT RELATED TO MAHATMA GANDHI).
Solomon Bandaranaike (Srilanka PM), Ranasinghe Premadasa (Sri lankan President), Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Founder of Bangladesh), Anwar Sadat (Egypt President), D’Arcy McGee (father of Confederation), Mohammad Ali Rajai & Mohammad Javad Bahonar (PM & President of Iran), Yitzhak Rabin (Israel PM), King Birendra (King of Nepal), Benazir Bhutto (ex PM of Pakistan – who was alive when the list was published), Faisal of Saudi Arabia (King of Saudi Arabia), Olof Palme (Swedish PM). Maybe you have enough material to creat a Top 50 list here
worth checking out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assasinated
especially interesting the bit on “targeted killing” and “state terrorism”
The Essential Guide for Protectors of at-risk People
Think of every assassination you’ve ever heard about. For most people, a few of these major ones come to mind: Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Anwar Sadat, John Lennon, Israel’s Prime Minister Rabin, Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto.
From start to finish, all of these attacks — combined — took place in less than one minute. And the hundreds of attacks studied for this book, all of them combined, took place in less than a half-hour. Those thirty minutes, surely the most influential in world history, offer important insights that can help today’s protectors defeat tomorrow’s attackers.
goto http://www.just2seconds.org/ for more info.
Federal Judge John Wood was assassinated by Woody Harrelson’s dad.