10 major assassinations is a definitive list.
It is not uncommon for public figures, political leaders or even monarchs to have murdered for various known and unknown reasons. Sometimes the assassinations are shocking and have triggered battles and wars. However, we rank the top 10 major assassinations with respect to the painful historic events. Many will be remembered for what they were and how influencing their life was. Unfortunately, these events continue to thrive even in difficult situations. Top 10 major assassinations.
10 major assassinations
10. Benazir Bhutto
Perpetrators – Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda (Popular belief)
Date – 27 December 2007
The two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan was one of the most popular figures in Pakistan politics. While her court case for corruption was pending, Bhutto chose to remain in exile for some years. After around eight years of exile in Dubai and London, Bhutto returned to Karachi in October 2007 to prepare for the 2008 national election. Meanwhile, Bhutto had escaped a suicide bombing attack while coming to Pakistan but the bombing killed around 139 people. On 27 December 2007, after addressing a rally in the city of Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan, Bhutto was seen waving at her supporters through her vehicle’s sunroof and fell back inside after three gunshots and a suicide bombing attack which also killed 22 other bystanders.
There were various controversies and theories of her death, some reports claimed that Bhutto died due to a neck injury, while some claimed the reason was suicide bombing and gunshot. Apparently many people had reasons to assassinate Bhutto, it is still unclear what was the primary motive. It is popularly believed that al-Qaeda was responsible for her death. – 10 major assassinations
“Long live Bhutto”
Benazir Bhutto’s last words while addressing the crowd.
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09. Abraham Lincoln
Perpetrators – John Wilkes Booth
Date – 14 April 1865
Who was the most popular President of the United States of America? Of course Abraham Lincoln. The sixteenth President of the United States was popular for his greatest moral, abolishment of slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernising the U.S. economy. Almost towards the end of the Civil War, the larger conspiracy was held to assassinate three of the most important officials of the United States government. According to reports, Booth was a dominant White supporter and believed that the country was formed for the whites and not for the blacks. Abolishment of slavery triggered a lot of hatred for Lincoln in the southern states.
Lincoln is remembered as the martyr hero of the United States and he is consistently ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history. Booth’s initial intention was to assassinate all three, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson and William H. Seward, but however, was successful only in assassinating Abraham Lincoln. – 10 major assassinations
“She won’t think anything about it”
Abraham Lincoln’s last words as an answer to Mary Lincoln’s question
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08. Indira Gandhi
Perpetrators – Beant and Satwant Singh
Date – 31 October 1984
Often referred as the Iron Lady of India, Indira Gandhi was the third and the only female Prime Minister of India. In order to capture a Sikh leader named Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Gandhi carried out Operation Blue Star. The collateral damage included the death of many pilgrims, as well as damage to the Akal Takht. This triggered anger among the Sikh community and as a matter of precaution, Sikhs were removed from Indira Gandhi’s personal bodyguards.She ordered the Special Protection Group to reinstate her Sikh bodyguards, including Beant Singh who was reported to be her personal favorite.
Gandhi passed a wicket gate guarded by Satwant and Beant Singh, and the two men opened fire. Beant fired three rounds into her abdomen from his .38 revolver; then Satwant fired 30 rounds from his Sten submachine gun after she had fallen to the ground. Beant was killed by other bodyguards and Satwant Singh was arrested and hanged in 1989. Her death resulted in retaliatory violence that killed almost 8000 Sikhs in 4 days. In 1991, her son and the sixth Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber from the LTTE – 10 major assassinations
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07. Tsar Nicholas II
Perpetrators – Bolsheviks revolutionaries, Yakov Yurovsky
Date – 17 July 1918
With all the exploitation and incapable governance, Tsar Nicholas II had made a series of poor decisions. In 1917, Tsar was deposed from his monarchy and had lost all his privileges. He was kept under house arrest along with his family at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo. As the Bolsheviks gathered strength under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, the government in April moved Nicholas, Alexandra, and their daughter Maria to Yekaterinburg. On the night of 16th July, Yakov Yurovsky, the in-charge of the assassination, under the pretext of shifting Nicholas’ family to a safer location killed all the members of the family including children.
In 1919 the White Army commissioned an investigation but were unable to find the unmarked gravesite. The remains of all the members weren’t found for a long time, until 1979 when an unmarked grave in the fields of Porosenkov log was found. After DNA analysis it was confirmed that the body was of the Romanov family members, the remains of the last two children were found in a second grave in 2007. – 10 major assassinations
“wait — what?! Repeat please…”
Tsar Nicholas II just before he was assassinated, when Yakov Yurovsky read aloud Tsar’s death sentence
06. Julius Caesar
Perpetrators – Conspiracy of 60 senators, Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus and Decimus Junius Brutus.
Date – 15 March 44 BCE
Julius Caesar, the greatest autocrat of the Roman Empire had served the Republic for eight years in the Gallic War, thus by fully conquering the region of Gaul (France). The governing body of Rome, the Roman Senate demanded Caesar to remove his army and return as a civilian to which Caesar denied and immersed into Caesar’s Civil War in 49 BCE and Caesar was appointed as the dictator of Rome in early 44 BCE. After which Caesar showed no regards or even cared about the Senates while possessing complete autocracy. At least 60 senators were party to the conspiracy, led by Marcus Junius Brutus (the popular figure in the assassination of Julius Caesar), Gaius Cassius Longinus and Decimus Junius Brutus.
On 15 March 44 BCE, during a meeting with the Senates at the Theatre of Pompey in Rome, the Senators stabbed Caesar 23 times. The Senators claimed that Caesar disregarded his capacity and acting over the possibility that Caesar’s unprecedented concentration of power during his dictatorship was a threat to the Roman Republic. The death of Julius Caesar marked the end of the Roman Republic. – 10 major assassinations
‘you too, child’
Either Caesar said nothing or he might have said this to Brutus.
05. John Lennon
Perpetrators – Mark David Chapman
Date – 8 December 1980
Imagine there’s no heaven, one of the most powerful lyrics ever written, John Lennon was a noted musician and the founder of the Beatles, one of the most influential bands of all times. Lennon was particularly noted for his anti-religious speeches and was disliked by religious fanatics. Chapman, a die-hard John Lennon fan, couldn’t tolerate Lennon’s comments, especially remark about the Beatles being “more popular than Jesus” and the lyrics of his later songs “God” and “Imagine”. Chapman was a fan who waited outside Lennon’s house for many days; fired five hollow-point bullets from a .38 special revolver, four of which hit Lennon in his back. Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival and Chapman was arrested.
Around 30,000 people gathered in Lennon’s hometown of Liverpool and a group of 225,000 covered Central Park, New York. For around ten minutes, every radio station in New York City went off the air. Chapman was denied parole ever since and remains incarcerated in an Upstate New York Prison. – 10 major assassinations
“Yeah, I’m shot”
John Lennon’s last words
04. Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Perpetrators – Coordinated by Danilo Ilić, executed by – Gavrilo Princip, Muhamed Mehmedbašić, Vaso Čubrilović, Nedeljko Čabrinović, Cvjetko Popović and Trifko Grabež
Date – 28 June 1914
Possibly the most impactful assassination in the entire history, the consequences of these murders resulted in the death of millions. The assassination was planned in order to break Austria-Hungary’s South Slav provinces so that it can be combined into Yugoslavia. After confusing the motorcade, the assassins threw a bomb at Ferdinand’s car, which bounced off the folded back convertible cover into the street and wounded 16-20 people. Even an act of suicide bombing failed. After constant failure, Gavrilo Princip stood up with a Belgian-made Fabrique Nationale model 1910 .380 calibre pistol and shot Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg at point-blank range.
However, the attack didn’t end there; the assassination led directly to World War I when Austria-Hungary subsequently issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia, which was partially rejected. Austria-Hungary then declared war on Serbia, triggering actions leading to war between most European states. Thus, technically the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to World War I and II and witnessed the death of countless people. – 10 major assassinations
“Sophie, Sophie! Don’t die! Live for our children!”
Last words of Franz Ferdinand
“It is nothing…” (7 times)
03. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Perpetrators – James Earl Ray, Loyd Jowers
Date – 4 April 1968
Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman, one of the most popular civil rights leaders and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. With building Civil Rights for the African-American community, Martin Luther King Jr had a lot of opposition. Since the mid-1950s, King had received multiple death threats and a near-death experience. On Thursday, April 4, 1968, King was residing at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. According to witnesses, King was talking to a fellow priest when King was shot in his face by a single .30-06 bullet. King was taken to the hospital, where he died. – 10 major assassinations
James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested on June 8, 1968, at London’s Heathrow Airport, extradited to the United States, and charged with the crime. Ray pleaded guilty and was sentenced for 99 years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary. After the death of Martin Luther King, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared April 7 a national day of mourning on which the U.S. flag would be flown at half-staff. – 10 major assassinations
“Ben, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.”
Martin Luther King Jr while speaking to Ben Branch
02. Mahatma Gandhi
Perpetrators – Nathuram Godse
Date – 30 January 1948
Mahatma Gandhi, a political ethicist, who employed nonviolent resistance and led a successful campaigning for Indian independence against the British rule. In early September 1947, Gandhi tried to stop religious riots during the partition of India and Pakistan. Godse, who had participated in the civil disobedience was infused with the ideology that Hindus are being discriminated. Gandhi’s unwillingness to to give in to a hatred of Muslims in the wake of the post-Partition turmoil angered Godse. Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte tried to assassinate Gandhi on 20 January 1948. However the attempt was a failure. Later on 30 January 1948, Godse shot Mahatma Gandhi with a Beretta M1934.
Godse and Apte were sentenced to death on 8 November 1949, and both were hanged on 15 November 1949. Gandhi’s assassination dramatically changed the political landscape. Despite the various efforts of Nehru and other leaders, violence erupted in Bombay and elsewhere in India, with riots and arson. There were attacks on Brahmins because the killer was a Brahmin. Police in Bombay had to open fire on the rioters. – 10 major assassinations
“Hey Ram(God)!”
Mahatma Gandhi’s last words after he was shot
01. John F Kennedy
Perpetrators – Lee Harvey Oswald
Date – 22 November 1963
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, one of the most popular Presidents of America who served the country during the Cold War. John F Kennedy or JFK was popular for the success of Apollo 11. The reason for the assassination is still unclear, as the perpetrator Lee Harvey Oswald had no evident intention. Kennedy’s open-top 1961 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible limousine entered Dealey Plaza. As it turned and passed by the Texas School Book Depository, three shots were fired. A Mannlicher-Carcano rifle and three shell casings were located near an open window on the book depository’s sixth floor.
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Soon after the death of John F Kennedy, many conspiracy theories were put forward, this included the influence of the USSR, Mafia, Vice President Johnson, Cuban President Fidel Castro, the KGB, or some combination of those entities. All of this was because it is still unclear, what was the motive behind the assassination of Kennedy. It is one of those assassinations that still remains a mystery. – 10 major assassinations
“No, you certainly can’t”
John F Kennedy’s last words, an answer to his wife’s statement, “Mr. President, you can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you”
This may be perhaps another post that shows how brutal this world is, from every perspective. Maybe the people on this list did something or it may be the assassin who did it, but the brutality of all these crimes are not negligible. This list is nothing but an examination of several perspectives. However, we will bring you more rank 10s. This was the definitive list of the 10 major assassinations.
Difference between murder and assassination
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is killing committed in the absence of malice, brought about by reasonable provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent, recklessness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder Wikipedia definition of murder
Assassination is the act of murdering a prominent or important person, such as heads of state, heads of government, politicians, royalty, celebrities, journalists, or CEOs. An assassination may be prompted by political and military motives, or done for financial gain, to avenge a grievance, from a desire to acquire fame or notoriety, or because of a military, security, insurgent or secret police group’s command to carry out the assassination. Acts of assassination have been performed since ancient times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination Wikipedia definition of assassination
In short murder is an act of crime, killing committed by any person for their own gain, whereas assassination is a murder of a prominent or important figure, such as heads of state, heads of government, politicians, royalty, celebrities, journalists, or CEOs. etc.