When a person has the strength to change the course of history, they gain many followers.
But on the flipside, they also get many haters.
And some take their hate too far.
Here is a list of some of the most famous assassinations in history which rocked the world.
10.
John Lennon – One of the greatest musicians and peace activists ever, John Lennon once
infamously said that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.
And while his remark may have been frowned upon by many, there is no doubt that he, along
with the Beatles were probably the most popular musicians ever.
After the breakup of the Beatles, Lennon continued on a successful solo musical journey along
with professing peace with songs like Imagine and Give peace a chance.
However, on 8 December, 1980, as he was returning to his apartment in Manhattan, Mark David
Chapman shot him 4 times in the back.
His death sparked off major protests and what was the saddest thing about the killing was
Chapman admitting later that he was angry at Lennon for his comments about Christ and
that he had a hit list consisting of David Bowie, Johnny Carson, Marlon Brando and others
but that Lennon was the easiest to find.
Chapman was later convicted and was denied parole thanks to the protests against his
release and even went on to say that he did it all because he wanted to be famous.
Well, what can we say?
Infamous is kind of famous, right?
9.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand – In terms of the repercussions of an assassination, there is
none more severe than that of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian
throne on 28 June, 1914 in Sarajevo.
It was the one event that precipitated the First World War which claimed over 18 million
lives.
Ferdinand was on a visit to Sarajevo to inspect the imperial armed forces in the Balkan region
which had been recently annexed by Austria-Hungary.
And the move angered many Serbian nationalists who wanted to become a part of the newly independent
and ambitious Serbian nation.
The display of Austrian strength in Bosnia did not go down well with Princip, a member
of the Serbian secret society, the Black Hand, and he along with Nedjelko Cabrinovik and
4 others plotted Ferdinand's assassination.
Cabrinovik threw a bomb at his car, and while Ferdinand was being driven to the hospital,
Princip shot Francis Ferdinand fatally.
This act caused the Austria-hungary government to declare war on Serbia, and the major powers
of that time including Germany, Russia, Britain, France and others sided themselves on either
side and thus, World War I began.
Could Princip have prevented the First World War if he had stayed his hand?
Unfortunately, we might never know.
8.
Benazir Bhutto – Having twice been elected as the Pakistani Prime Minister, and the leader
of opposition, Benazir Bhutto was heading for another victory when she was literally
stopped in her tracks.
While on a campaign at the Liaquat National Bagh, she was shot at just before a suicide
bomber detonated himself killing 24 people.
An injured Bhutto was rushed to the hospital but was later declared dead.
Interestingly, she had gone on a self-imposed exile and on her return had asked the government
for extra protection which was denied.
Her assassination gave way to country wide protests and riots and although Al-Qaeda took
the responsibility for the attack, there are still many mysteries surrounding who actually
ordered her killing.
Whoever it might have been, they have definitely had us scratching our heads!
7.
Martin Luther King Jr.
– One of the most prominent figures in the advancement of civil rights in the US, Martin
Luther King Jr. helped organise the 1963 march on Washington where he gave the eternal "I
have a dream" speech.
He was a true champion of civil rights and used the tactics of non-violent and civil
disobedience to good effect.
One must respect the courage and belief of the great man as he did not let death threats
scare him from speaking in support of the black sanitary workers who demanded equal
pay.
His efforts irked many who considered White skin to be more precious than black, and one
of them, James Earl Ray, shot him while he was in the balcony of his hotel.
Later, when Ray was trying to escape to White ruled Rhodesia, he was caught and sentenced
to 99 years prison.
But his blind hatred caused the world to lose one of its inspirational heroes.
6.
Mahatma Gandhi – Can a nation win its independence without violence?
Sounds impossible right?
But that was the greatness of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who won India her independence without
resorting to violence.
His non-violent approach to protests and belief in equality inspired many world leaders like
Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu kyi, Martin Luther King, Barrack Obama and many others.
Unfortunately, he was blamed by a lot of people for the partition of India and Pakistan even
though he was firmly against it and it turned many against him.
But such was the greatness of the man that he still tried to heal the pains of partition
any way he could, including a fast.
However, many were unable to see his greatness and Nathuram Godse, who thought that Gandhi
favoured Muslims, shot him 3 times at point blank range while seeking his blessing.
His actions sent an entire nation and indeed, the world into mourning.
Godse was sentenced to death and perhaps in a continuation of Gandhi's legacy, his sons
made pleas for commutation of his sentence, although it was turned down by the Prime minister
of India.
5.
Julius Caesar – The words "Et tu, Brute?" and the Ides of March have become commonly
used phrases today thanks to the brilliance of Shakespeare's words.
But when Julius Caesar was struck down by those he considered his friends and confidantes,
it is hard to imagine the pain and shock he must have gone through.
Fearing that Julius Caesar was getting too popular and powerful, a group of conspirators
which included Cassius, Casca, Cinna, Decius and others convinced Brutus, Caesar's closest
friend, that he was not good for the Roman Empire and together they stabbed him to death
near the theatre of Pompey in Rome where he met a truly dramatic end.
But well, karma caught up with them in the end after Mark Antony, a close friend of Caesar's,
turned the public against the conspirators and forced them onto the battlefield.
4.
Abraham Lincoln – The man responsible for the abolition of slavery in the US, Abraham
Lincoln was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.
It is a great testament to his belief that even the American Civil War was not able to
deter him from his path and he is perhaps the greatest advocate of human rights.
But it was this belief that earned him many enemies.
Sadly, it was towards the end of the civil war that he was assassinated by John Wilkes
Booth while attending a play at the Ford's theatre.
Booth was a confederate spy, and had intended to kidnap Lincoln to secure the release of
confederate prisoners.
But when Lincoln called for voting rights for the blacks in his April 11, 1865 speech,
it provoked Booth to killing Lincoln on April 14, 1865.
It was a sad day for the US and the world, as one of the greatest champions of equality
was murdered for his beliefs.
While Lincoln has become an icon, the top hat and the beard will be sorely missed in
a world that needs him now more than ever.
3.
Malcolm X – Being an African American Muslim in the 1940s and 1950s in America couldn't
have been easy but that didn't deter Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X, as he is famously known.
He has been regarded as one of the most courageous activists for the rights of African Americans
in the US and he did earn a lot of detractors who called him racist and violent.
He became a member of the Nation of Islam, a radical group, but left them when he got
disillusioned with their views.
However, the group did not forget him.
They were angry at him and issued a number of death threats in order to scare him.
But Malcolm X did not bow down against their threats and when he was preparing to address
the Organisation of Afro-American unity in Manhattan's Audubon ballroom on 21st February,
1965, a commotion broke out and 3 members of the Nation of Islam shot repeatedly at
him.
Malcolm was rushed to the hospital but he died soon after arrival owing to the 21 gunshot
wounds he received.
And if he is looking down on us now, we think he may be happy with the progress that we
have made since.
2.
John F Kennedy – If ever there are talks of assassinations of world leaders, the name
of JFK will undoubtedly come up.
The visionary President of the USA who tided over times of crisis like Cuba and Berlin,
and was instrumental in securing achievements like Nuclear Test ban treaty and the Alliance
for progress was assassinated while riding the Presidential motorcade in Dallas, Texas
on the 22nd of November, 1963.
Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of the assassination although there are many conspiracy theories
which believe that Oswald was not acting alone.
Investigations that were carried out revealed many theories like the single bullet and the
magic bullet theory which suggest that the bullet that killed JFK curved twice.
Many believe that the Russians had a hand in the assassination, while some believe it
was an act of the CIA.
Whatever the truth may be, the assassination of JFK has become a topic of much discussion
among conspiracy theorists.
1.
Lee Harvey Oswald – Yes, that's right.
Lee Harvey Oswald, the man behind the assassination of JFK was assassinated himself.
Oswald was an ex-marine who defected to the Soviet Union in 1959 before returning to the
US in 1962.
In an attempt to escape, Oswald shot police officer Tippit and slipped into a theatre
where he was later apprehended.
Oswald claimed to be a patsy, and pleaded not guilty.
But before any court could decide his guilt, he was killed by Dallas nightclub operator
Jack Ruby when the police were taking him to a nearby county jail.
Ruby claimed to have been distraught over Kennedy's death and wanted to save Mrs Kennedy
from the trials although conspiracy theorists claim that Oswald was part of the conspiracy
to kill JFK.
While many believe that Oswald deserved what he got, others think that his death was a
convenient way to cover up the conspiracy behind the assassination.
And it's anybody's guess if we will ever be able to learn the truth!
So this was out list of the most famous assassinations in the world and if you think we have missed
out on any, do leave a comment below.
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