Top 5 Failed Assassinations of the 20th Century | History’s Close Calls

History isn’t just shaped by the leaders who fell — it’s also shaped by those who barely survived. The 20th century was full of shocking assassination attempts that could have changed the world forever… but didn’t.

This video dives into five of the most infamous failed assassination attempts — moments when history stood on the edge of a knife, and fate decided otherwise.

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1️⃣ Benito Mussolini – Italy 🇮🇹
• What happened: Mussolini survived several assassination attempts during his dictatorship, including close-range shootings and bombings.
• Impact: Each survival strengthened his cult of personality — until World War II ended his rule.
• Why it matters: Had Mussolini fallen earlier, Italy’s role in WWII might have looked very different.

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2️⃣ Adolf Hitler – Germany 🇩🇪
• What happened: The most famous attempt was the July 20 Plot (1944), when German officers planted a bomb at his headquarters. Hitler escaped with minor injuries.
• Impact: The failed plot led to brutal purges, with thousands executed.
• Why it matters: If the plot had succeeded, the war might have ended sooner — potentially saving millions of lives.

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3️⃣ Pope John Paul II – Vatican City 🇻🇦
• What happened: On May 13, 1981, Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca shot the Pope in St. Peter’s Square. Miraculously, the Pope survived after hours of surgery.
• Impact: John Paul II later forgave his attacker, a moment that stunned the world.
• Why it matters: The Pope’s survival preserved his role in inspiring global resistance to communism and authoritarianism.

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4️⃣ Theodore Roosevelt – United States 🇺🇸
• What happened: In 1912, while campaigning for president, Roosevelt was shot in the chest. Instead of collapsing, he continued to give a 90-minute speech with the bullet lodged inside him.
• Impact: The attempt only boosted his legend as one of America’s toughest leaders.
• Why it matters: Roosevelt’s survival symbolized the grit of early 20th-century American politics.

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5️⃣ Charles de Gaulle – France 🇫🇷
• What happened: De Gaulle survived more than 30 assassination attempts, the most famous being the 1962 “Petit-Clamart” ambush by the OAS, a French paramilitary group opposed to Algerian independence.
• Impact: He escaped unscathed, cementing his reputation as “the man France could not kill.”
• Why it matters: Had de Gaulle died, France’s transition away from colonial wars may have unraveled.

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⚖️ When Assassinations Fail…

Failed assassinations often have ripple effects:
• They reinforce the authority of the survivor.
• They sometimes unleash brutal crackdowns.
• They feed legends of destiny, luck, or divine protection.

In some cases, the failure to kill mattered as much as a successful assassination would have.

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🌍 Other Famous Close Calls
• Fidel Castro (Cuba): Target of hundreds of failed CIA plots.
• Queen Victoria (UK): Survived multiple attempts during her reign.
• Ronald Reagan (USA): Survived a 1981 shooting by John Hinckley Jr.

History is filled with “what ifs” — moments where survival changed everything.

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❓ Questions for You
• Which failed assassination do you think changed history the most?
• Do you believe some leaders are “destined” to survive, or just lucky?
• If Hitler had died in 1944, how different would the world look today?

Drop your thoughts below 👇 — this one should spark some serious debate.