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
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
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 ofthe President and had
sought revenge. Oswald was shot on November 24th 1963 and died later
that evening, aged 24.
8. John Lennon
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
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
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.
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-AmericanCivil Rights Movement.
4. Abraham Lincoln
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 atthe 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
shotthe 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
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
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
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 enteredthe 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.
Source: http://listverse.com/2007/10/28/the-10-most-famous-successful-assassinations/
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