On September 5, 1975 – Sacramento, California: Lynette Fromme attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford.

On September 5, 1975, in Sacramento, California, President Gerald Ford was walking through Capitol Park to meet with state officials when he suddenly faced an assassination attempt. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a 26-year-old member of Charles Manson’s infamous “family,” stepped out from the crowd in a bright red robe and pointed a Colt .45 pistol at the president from close range. Though she managed to raise the weapon and pull the trigger, the gun did not fire, later investigations revealed that while it was loaded with four rounds, the chamber was empty. Secret Service agents immediately subdued her, pushing Ford away from danger and wresting the gun from her hands before she could chamber a round.

See also: On September 5, 2022 – Liz Truss is declared the winner of the UK Conservative Party leadership election, beating Rishi Sunak

Fromme’s attack was not driven by personal animosity toward Ford but by her radical environmental and cult-like devotion to Charles Manson. She claimed her motive was to draw attention to environmental destruction and the mistreatment of California’s redwood forests, issues she believed the government was ignoring. Despite her insistence that she never intended to kill Ford, she was convicted of attempted assassination and sentenced to life in prison. Fromme served more than three decades before being released on parole in 2009. The incident, though it ended without injury, shook the nation and highlighted how fragile presidential security could be in public settings during that turbulent era.

See also: (In UK) Veteran Republican Senator McConnell Warns Trump’s Second Term Could Be Most Dangerous Era Since World War Two