As I told you yesterday, I have learned some interesting facts from reading a fiction Bestseller. But I didn’t mention the name of the book or the author. So if you are interested, the name of the book is “the Fifth Assassin” by Brad Meltzer. The main character is Beecher White who is an archivists and the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

An archivist is, of course, someone who is in charge of Archives. An archive is a place where public records or historical documents are kept. The National Archives in Washington is a beautiful building in the District in which the original Declaration of Independence, the U. S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and many other very important historical documents are kept.

If you are going to visit Washington, D.C. the National Archives should be one of the most important stops on your itinerary. The building itself is gorgeous and majestic, but the documents on display are arranged in a manner that you can be right up close to them, even though they are encased in protective class cases. It is inspirational.

The building is not too far from the White House or from the Washington Monument or Congress, or the Congressional Library, pictured above. It’s worth the trip.

The Fifth Assassin was the man who shot a future and fictional President, Orson Wallace, who nevertheless didn’t die. The assassin was—oh I’d better not tell you, then you won’t need to read the book! Some of the same characters also appear in his earlier book, “The Inner Circle”, which I actually liked just a little bit better.

But for your information, the first President to be assassinated was Abraham Lincoln. He was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865. He was shot while attending a play at the Ford Theater shortly after the end of the Civil War, and after he had been reelected for a second term as President. John Wilkes Booth was shot and killed by lawman, Boston Corbett.

The second President to be assassinated was James A. Garfield, on July 2, 1881, less than 4 months after he took office. He was shot and killed by Charles J. Giteau, who was found guilty and hanged on June 30, 1882.

The third President to be assassinated was William McKinley. McKinley loved World Fairs, and was shot and killed at the Temple of Music at the Pan American Exposition on September 6, 1901. His assassin was Leon Czolgosz who was found guilty after a 2 day trial an executed by electric chair on October 29, 1901. Did the system work that fast in those days?

The forth President to be assassinated was, of course, John F. Kennedy, as some of us remember. It was when I was in high school, November 22, 1963. You may recall, Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald was shot and killed as he was arrested and moved. His killer was Jack Ruby.

Some of us also remember when an assassination attempt was made on President Ronald Reagan. There is also a good book about this assassination attempt written by Bill O’Reilly. It’s well written and full of things you didn’t know, and perhaps didn’t want to know about Ronald Reagan. Give it a try if you’re interested.