Prompt Cast
The Forgotten Assassination of President William McKinley
TLDR President William McKinley, despite his significant contributions to the United States, is often overlooked, while his assassin, Leon Cholgosh, had a limited education and worked in factories. McKinley was shot twice by Cholgosh at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, but ultimately died due to complications from his wounds.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, but the event is often forgotten despite being the third assassination of a U.S. president in 36 years.
01:53
William McKinley, despite being a significant president who won two terms, led the United States into its first foreign war, and expanded its territories, is often overlooked, while his assassin, Leon Cholgosh, had a limited education and worked in factories.
03:24
Leon Cholgosh, a socially awkward and politically radicalized individual, decided to assassinate President McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, inspired by the assassination of King Umberto I of Italy by an anarchist.
04:59
Leon Cholgosh shot President McKinley twice at point blank range, but the wounds were not necessarily fatal; a man named James Parker, who had been born into slavery, intervened and stopped Cholgosh from firing a third shot, and McKinley himself ordered the police and soldiers to stop beating Cholgosh.
06:30
President McKinley was taken into surgery immediately after being shot, but the surgeons were not properly equipped to treat his abdominal wounds and were unable to find the bullet; despite initially appearing to be doing better, McKinley's condition worsened due to gangrene and he passed away on September 14th, 1901.
07:58
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt immediately took the oath of office in Buffalo, while the assassin, Leon Czolgosz, was quickly indicted, found guilty, and executed.
09:30
Steps were taken to improve presidential security after the assassination, including the assignment of Secret Service agents to provide protection for the President, and McKinley was buried in Canton, Ohio, in one of the largest tombs dedicated to any President of the United States, but today the presidency and assassination of William McKinley has mostly been forgotten.
