Irish Woman Violet Gibson Shot Mussolini in Face in 1926 Assassination Attempt
Irish woman Violet Gibson shot Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the face on April 7, 1926, in Rome. The assassination attempt failed, and Gibson was captured immediately after the shooting.
On April 7, 1926, an Irish woman named Violet Gibson came within inches of changing world history when she shot Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the face during an assassination attempt in Rome.
Gibson worked alone and told police interrogators she shot Mussolini "to glorify God," claiming an angel had kept her arm steady during the attack. Historians believe she was mentally unstable at the time.
The shooting wounded Mussolini but did not kill him, allowing the fascist leader to continue his rise to power. Mussolini would later become Adolf Hitler's key ally during World War II.
Gibson's great-niece, Philippa Gibson, has brought renewed attention to this dramatic moment in history. The failed assassination remains one of the closest calls in changing the course of 20th-century European politics.
If Gibson had succeeded, some historians argue Italy might have avoided fascism entirely, potentially preventing or altering World War II.
This little-known assassination attempt shows how close history came to changing course. If Gibson had succeeded, World War II and the rise of fascism might have unfolded very differently.
Historical interest in the Gibson assassination attempt continues as family members share the story.
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