Remembering Lincoln's Murder

On April 14, 1865, an actor and Confederate sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington. The following morning, less than a week after the end of the Civil War, Lincoln would become the first American president killed in office. It was the crime of the 19th century. Booth fled the building and, along with co-conspirator David Herold, evaded the authorities for nearly two weeks. Booth was shot and killed during capture in Virginia on April 26. To commemorate the anniversary of the assassination and its aftermath, Ford's Theatre will host round-the-clock events and will be open for 36 hours on April 14 and 15.