The President is Shot
On March 30, 1981, two and a half months after his inauguration, President Reagan is shot in the chest by would-be assassin John Hinkley.
When the shots begin outside of the Washington Hilton, Ronald Reagan is immediately pushed into the armored presidential car by Secret Service agent Jerry Parr. Before the President is completely inside, one of the bullets ricochets off the limousine into his chest. The shot hits a rib, punctures a lung, and stops one inch short of the President’s heart.
Three other men are also shot protecting the President, Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy, Washington D.C. policeman Thomas Delahanty, and White House Press Secretary James Brady.
Source: reagan.utexas.edu
Over the course of 17 days in 1975, two assassination attempts were made on President Gerald Ford’s life. The first attempt was by a member of Charles Manson’s cult. The second happened outside of the Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, California on September 22, 1975. The gun woman was Sara Jane Moore, her shot missed.
These photos were taken in the moments immediately after the gun was fired. They show President Ford wincing upon hearing the gunshot, an image of the hotel taken at almost the same moment the gun when off, and Secret Service Agents 3 seconds later.
One month, two assassination attempts. Secret Service agents rush President Ford towards the California State Capitol following the attempt on the President’s life by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a member of the Charles Manson cult. September 5, 1975.
Seventeen days later, President Ford would be fired at again in San Francisco.
