On this date, November 1, 1950, an assassination attempt was made on U.S. President Harry S. Truman. The assailants, Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo, targeted Truman at Blair House in Washington D.C. Fortunately, Truman survived the attempt.
Amidst the chilly 1950 season, renovation work was being conducted at the White House, causing President Truman and his family to reside at Blair House on Pennsylvania Avenue. Around noontime on November 1, while President Truman and his wife were on the upper floor, they heard commotion and gunfire emanating from the front steps.
Assassins at the President’s Door
Two alleged assassins reached the front door of Blair House and commenced shooting. However, due to the swift response of police officers and guards, they could not advance beyond the entrance stairs. Secret Service agent Leslie Coffelt managed to fatally wound one assailant, Torresola, even after sustaining serious injuries during the lethal skirmish.
Assailants from Puerto Rico
The second assailant, Collazo, later revealed to the police how poorly the assassination attempt was planned. The attackers were not even certain if President Truman would be home at 2 PM when they initiated the attack. Torresola and Collazo were political activists and extremists associated with the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, a group fighting for Puerto Rico's full independence from the United States.
Even after enduring such an attack, President Truman stoically remarked that a president must be prepared for such occurrences. Oscar Collazo was sentenced to death, but on July 24, 1952, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Truman.
Key Historical Events
November 1 marks All Saints' Day, a day for Christians to honor all known and unknown saints and martyrs in Christian history.
Karnataka Rajyotsava is celebrated on November 1, marking the formation of the Karnataka state in 1956, uniting all Kannada-speaking regions of southern India.
The end of the Ottoman Empire was declared on November 1, 1922.
On November 1, 1916, Paul Milyukov delivered the famous 'Stupidity or Treason' speech in the Russian State Duma.
November 1, 1993, witnessed the establishment of the European Union through the Maastricht Treaty.
The British Prime Minister Tory was born in London on November 1, 1802.
