Few days changed the course of American history like April 15, 1865 — when Abraham Lincoln died after being shot by actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth.
WTOP’s Jimmy Alexander explores some of the many surprising facts about Lincoln’s last day.
For example, a “first lady” feud possibly saved a future president’s life.
“Abraham Lincoln was also looking for guests to join him here at Ford’s Theatre and one of those guests was General and future President Ulysses S. Grant,” said Garrett Kost, a park guide at Ford’s Theatre, which is a National Historic Site.
But the one thing standing in the way of Grant joining Lincoln in the presidential box at Ford’s Theater was his wife, Julia Dent Grant.
“Julia Dent Grant was not the biggest friend of Mary Todd Lincoln,” Kost said.
Another surprising fact: On the night Lincoln was assassinated, his security detail consisted only of a single police officer, who had been demoted three times for sleeping on duty, drinking on duty and visiting houses of ill repute, Kost said.
Learn more in the video.