On this day: January 30
An assassin's misfires spare President Andrew Jackson, "The Lone Ranger" debuts on radio, Gandhi is assassinated, The Beatles hit the roof for one last gig, and the first computer virus is written, all on this day.
1835: In the first assassination attempt against a U.S. president, Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot President Andrew Jackson while Jackson is leaving the funeral of South Carolina congressman Warren R. Davis at the United States Capitol. After both of Lawrence's pistols misfire, he is subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen and, by some reports, a cane-wielding President Jackson himself. He would later be found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent most of the rest of his life in several institutions and hospitals.
