Four Historical Figures Who Survived Assassination Attempts

These moments almost changed history

A photograph of Martin Luther King by an unknown photographer, 1964 (Wikimedia Commons)

It’s scary how the course of human history can change so easily. Just one small act by a single individual at a specific point in time can alter the future in dramatic — and frightening — ways.

The four figures discussed in this article will all be familiar to you. But their stories would be very different if these assassination attempts had been successful.

1. Queen Victoria

A painting of Queen Victoria by T.W. Huffam, c. 1840 (Wikimedia Commons)

Queen Victoria is one of the most well-known monarchs in British history. In 1837, she became Queen of the United Kingdom when she was just eighteen years old and reigned for more than sixty years.

But Victoria’s reign almost ended on the 10th of June 1840 when a man named Edward Oxford tried to assassinate her. Oxford opened fire on the pregnant queen whilst she was traveling in an open-topped carriage near Buckingham Palace.

When the first shot missed, Prince Albert pushed Victoria down and out of sight, preventing the next shot from finding its mark. The crowd then overpowered Oxford, who was subsequently…