Human History Spins On Moments And Millimetres

Some views on assassinating your political leaders from a country that last dabbled in 1812.

CREDIT:

Spencer Perceval is the pub quiz answer you’re looking for here. To date, the only British Prime Minister ever assassinated. Shot in the House of Commons lobby on the 11th May 1812 by an angry merchant called John Bellingham. The UK courts tried Bellingham, dismissed the defence of insanity and hanged him three days later.

There have been other attempts.

Winston Churchill was supposed to get exploding chocolate courtesy of the Nazi Party, Margaret Thatcher once stayed in an exploding hotel thanks to the IRA and John Major briefly had a garden filled with mortars.

Left-wing radical students once attempted to kidnap Alex Douglas-Home but he invited them in whilst he packed an overnight bag and after a few beers they got bored and abandoned their plan. The whole thing was kept very hush hush for a number of years as it was the biggest lapse in British security since someone said ‘Spencer, there’s a man called John here to see you, I’ve told him to wait in the lobby’

Compare and contrast

Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Kennedy — all killed whilst serving as US President. Now you can add both…