Failed Assassination: 5 Historical Figures That Barely Escaped

No. 1: Adolf Hitler, 1939

Public Domain Image: Public Domain

Although there have been several attempts on the Nazi dictator’s life, the 1939 one could have likely changed the entire course of World War II, to the point that it may have been prevented altogether. A carpenter by the name of Georg Elser dedicated many years of his life preparing an attempt on Hitler. He spent several years learning how to create a time bomb and travelled to Munich a few weeks before Hitler was supposed to hold a speech at a beer hall. However, unknown to Esler, the speech was delivered earlier and by the time the bomb exploded, the Fuhrer had already left.