Failed Assassination: 5 Historical Figures That Barely Escaped

No. 3: Franklin Roosevelt, 1933

Public Domain Image: Public Domain

Try to imagine the Great Depression and World War II without Roosevelt at the helm of the US. Well, had the 1933 attempt on his life been successful, this would not have been just an exercise of imagination, but a reality. In February of that year, while the president was riding in an open car alongside Chicago mayor, Anton Cermark, in Miami, Florida, Giuseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant, opened fire aiming for Roosevelt. One of the five shots ended up killing Cermark, but Roosevelt was left unharmed.