Assassinations are murders of a political nature, and their impacts often have far-reaching consequences that affect not just the immediate family of the deceased person but far beyond that. When Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Josef and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in 1914, the incident triggered off events that led to the World War I. Years later, in a different continent, another world-shaking assassination took place—M. K. Gandhi, known as the man responsible of gaining independence for India and preacher of peace, was shot dead by a frenzied man called Nathuram Godse. In 1963, John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of United States was on a political campaign in Dallas where he was shot dead in one of the century’s most shocking assassinations. His assassination gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories and made the headlines for weeks. More recently, in 2007, the then-leader of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party was assassinated after a political rally at Liaquat National Bagh. Throughout history there have been several political leaders as well as human rights activists who have been assassinated. This section provides you information about the life and works of famous people who were assassinated.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand(The person whose assassination sparked the First World War)
18 December 1863
Austrian
