Today in History: April 7: Mussolini’s failed assassination

Today in History: April 7.

In 1926, Benito Mussolini is grazed in the nose by a bullet, from a gun fired by Violet Gibson, in Rome.

Her attempt on Mussolini's life came, as he was making a speech, on the wonders of modern medicine. She fired one shot before the gun jammed and was then attacked by Mussolini's supporters, only surviving an attempted lynching when the police intervened and arrested her.

The assassination attempt triggered waves of support for Mussolini, resulting in the passage of pro-Fascist legislation, helping him consolidate his control of Italy.

Violet was kept in St Andrew's Hospital, a mental asylum in Northampton, until her death in 1956.

In March 2021, Dublin City Council approved the placement of a plaque on her childhood home, to commemorate Gibson as a "committed anti-fascist". This was unveiled in October 2022.