5 Famous Assassinations

1. Martin Luther King Jr: A civil rights activist who fought for the rights of African-Americans, King made no bones about the fact that he was anti-violence. His white supremacist opponents were involved in beatings, murders and bombings in an attempt to retain the status quo. King eventually fell victim to their actions on 4 April 1968, when he was shot. A petty criminal named James Earl Ray was convicted for the assassination, but, to this day, there are rumours that the assassination was commissioned by the government.

2. John Lennon: A former member of the popular 1960’s rock band, The Beatles, Lennon was shot dead when entering his New York home on 8 December 1980. Mark David Chapman was arrested for the assassination. At his trial, in which he ultimately pleaded guilty, he stated that it was ‘the will of God’.

3. Abraham Lincoln: The man whom many view as the greatest American President of all time was shot dead on 14 April 1865 while attending a play. John Wilkes Booth, an actor, was arrested for the crime – the assassin didn’t even try to run or hide his identity.

4. John F. Kennedy: This American President was killed by a sniper on 22 November 1963. Investigations concluded that the sniper, ex-Marine Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone. However, many believe this to be untrue, claiming that there was actually more than one shooter.

5. Mohandas K. Gandhi: Famous for leading India’s independence from Great Britain, Gandhi was shot to death on 30 January 1948. The shooter was Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse, who believed that non-violence was the wrong approach and that Muslims were receiving preferential treatment.