Timeline
A chronological view of the archive. Red marks indicate successful assassinations; warm-toned marks indicate failed attempts or foiled plots.
Antebellum era
Civil War and Reconstruction era
- 1861-02-23·Foiled plot·Baltimore
Plot Against Abraham Lincoln
An alleged plot to assassinate Lincoln in Baltimore before his inauguration led to a secret nighttime transit through the city.
Medium confidence - 1865-04-14·Assassination·Washington
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre; Lincoln died the next morning.
High confidence - 1865-04-14·Foiled/abandoned plot·Washington
Plot Against Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was targeted in Booth's broader conspiracy, but George Atzerodt failed to act.
High confidence
Gilded Age
Progressive Era
- 1901-09-06·Assassination·Buffalo
Assassination of William McKinley
McKinley was shot at close range by anarchist Leon Czolgosz and died eight days later.
High confidence - 1909-10-16·Foiled plot·El Paso
Plot Against William Howard Taft
During Taft's meeting with Mexican President Porfirio Díaz, an armed man was reportedly stopped near the route.
Medium confidence - 1910-10-10·Alleged plot·Boston/Worcester
Plot Against William Howard Taft
A reported threat against Taft was relayed to police, but no attacker was identified.
Low confidence — disputed - 1912-10-14·Attempted assassination·Milwaukee
Attempted Assassination of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning as a third-party candidate but survived.
High confidence
Interwar and New Deal era
- 1928-12·Foiled plot·Buenos Aires
Plot Against Herbert Hoover
A reported anarchist bomb plot against President-elect Hoover was disrupted in Argentina.
Medium confidence - 1933-02-15·Attempted assassination·Miami
Attempted Assassination of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Giuseppe Zangara fired at Roosevelt in Miami; Roosevelt survived, but Anton Cermak died.
High confidence - 1935-09-08·Assassination·Baton Rouge
Assassination of Huey Long
Senator Huey Long was shot at the Louisiana State Capitol by Dr. Carl Weiss; Long died two days later from his wounds.
High confidence
Cold War era
- 1950-11-01·Attempted assassination·Washington
Attempted Assassination of Harry S. Truman
Two Puerto Rican nationalists attacked Blair House while Truman was staying there.
High confidence - 1960-12-11·Attempted assassination / abandoned attack·Palm Beach
Attempted Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Richard Pavlick planned to kill President-elect Kennedy with explosives but did not carry out the attack.
High confidence - 1963-11-02·Suspected/foiled plot·Chicago
Plot Against John F. Kennedy
A reported Chicago plot against Kennedy shortly before Dallas remains debated but is often included among suspected plots.
Medium confidence - 1963-11-22·Assassination·Dallas
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Kennedy was fatally shot during a Dallas motorcade.
High confidence - 1968-06-05·Assassination·Los Angeles
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy was shot after winning the California Democratic primary.
High confidence - 1972-05-15·Attempted assassination·Laurel
Attempted Assassination of George Wallace
George Wallace was shot while campaigning and survived with permanent paralysis.
High confidence - 1974-02-22·Attempted assassination / hijacking plot·Baltimore
Plot Against Richard Nixon
Samuel Byck tried to hijack a plane with the aim of crashing it into the White House to kill Nixon.
High confidence - 1975-09-05·Attempted assassination·Sacramento
Attempted Assassination of Gerald Ford
Lynette Fromme pointed a gun at Ford in Sacramento, but it did not fire.
High confidence - 1975-09-22·Attempted assassination·San Francisco
Attempted Assassination of Gerald Ford
Sara Jane Moore fired at Ford in San Francisco; a bystander helped deflect the shot.
High confidence - 1979-05-05·Alleged plot·Los Angeles
Plot Against Jimmy Carter
Two men were arrested before a Carter speech, but the alleged assassination plot was never strongly substantiated.
Low confidence — disputed - 1981-03-30·Attempted assassination·Washington
Attempted Assassination of Ronald Reagan
John Hinckley Jr. shot Reagan outside a Washington hotel; Reagan survived.
High confidence
Post-Cold War era
- 1993-04·Foiled plot·Kuwait City
Plot Against George H. W. Bush
A plot to kill former President George H. W. Bush during a Kuwait visit was attributed by the U.S. to Iraqi intelligence.
High confidence - 1994-09-12·Security incident / possible attack·Washington
Security Incident Involving Bill Clinton
Corder crashed a small plane onto the White House grounds; his intent remains unclear.
Low confidence — disputed - 1994-10-29·Attempted assassination·Washington
Attempted Assassination of Bill Clinton
Duran fired at the White House, believing Clinton was among men visible on the grounds.
High confidence - 1996-11·Foiled plot·Manila
Plot Against Bill Clinton
A reported plot to bomb Clinton's route in Manila led to a route change.
Medium confidence - 2001-02-07·Shooting incident·Washington
Attempted Assassination of George W. Bush
Robert Pickett fired shots at the White House while the president was inside; he was subdued by Secret Service after a standoff.
High confidence
War on Terror and modern security era
- 2005-05-10·Attempted assassination·Tbilisi
Attempted Assassination of George W. Bush
Arutyunian threw a grenade toward Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili; it failed to explode.
High confidence - 2008-10-22·Foiled plot·Brownsville
Plot Against Barack Obama
Federal authorities disrupted a plot by two white supremacists to conduct a killing spree and assassinate candidate Barack Obama.
High confidence - 2011-11-11·Attempted assassination·Washington
Attempted Assassination of Barack Obama
Ortega-Hernandez fired rifle rounds at the White House intending to target Obama.
High confidence - 2014-09-19·Security breach / Intrusion·Washington
Security Incident Involving Barack Obama
Omar Gonzalez scaled the White House fence and entered the residence armed with a knife before being apprehended.
High confidence - 2016-06-18·Attempted assassination·Las Vegas
Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Sandford tried to grab a police officer's gun at a Trump rally, later stating he intended to kill Trump.
High confidence
Contemporary era
- 2017-09-06·Attempted attack·Mandan
Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Leingang stole a forklift and intended to use it against Trump's motorcade.
Medium confidence - 2018-10·Mail bomb attempt·Washington
Attempted Assassination of Barack Obama
A pipe-bomb package addressed to Obama was intercepted during a broader mail-bomb campaign.
High confidence - 2020-09·Poison mailing attempt·Washington
Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Ferrier mailed a ricin-containing threatening letter to Trump at the White House.
High confidence - 2023-05-22·Attempted attack / threat·Washington
Threat Against Joe Biden
Kandula drove a truck into a White House security barrier and later admitted intent to kill the president.
High confidence - 2023-08-09·Threat / planned attack alleged·Provo
Threat Against Joe Biden
Robertson posted threats against Biden before a Utah visit and was killed during an FBI operation.
Medium confidence - 2024-07-12·Foiled murder-for-hire plot·New York
Plot Against Donald Trump and other U.S. politicians
Asif Merchant was convicted in a foiled Iran-linked murder-for-hire plot targeting U.S. politicians and officials.
High confidence - 2024-07-13·Attempted assassination·Butler
Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Crooks fired at Trump during a Pennsylvania rally, wounding Trump and killing a rally attendee before being killed by law enforcement.
High confidence - 2024-09-15·Attempted assassination·West Palm Beach
Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Routh was found with a rifle near Trump's golf course and was later convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump.
High confidence - 2026-04-25·Attempted assassination charge·Washington
Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
Allen was charged after an alleged armed attempt connected to the White House Correspondents' Dinner; the case remains pending.
Medium confidence