On an early April day in 1926, Il Duce Benito Mussolini stepped forward to salute an animated throng of people outside the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome.
Among the adoring crowd, however, was 50-year-old Violet Gibson, an Anglo-Irish woman who was less than enthused with the Italian fascist dictator.
In Mussolini’s lifetime, four people managed to launch assassination attempts against the dictator. But just one of them, according to the Smithsonian, ever came close to succeeding.
Gibson came the closest.
Born in 1876, Gibson hailed from Irish aristocracy — her father, 1st Baron Ashbourne, served as Lord High Chancellor of Ireland from 1885 to 1905 and was a close friend of the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, according to The Irish Post.
GET HISTORY’S GREATEST TALES—RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Subscribe to our HistoryNet Now! newsletter for the best of the past, delivered every Wednesday.
Close
Thank you for subscribing!
The young Gibson divided her time between Dublin and London and was a debutante in the court of Queen Victoria at the age of 18.
Despite her status, Gibson was described as a sickly girl who often “suffered from scarlet fever, pleurisy and bouts of so-called ‘hysteria,’” wrote The Irish Post.
In 1922, at the age of 46, she suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental asylum. She was released two years later and traveled to Rome with her live-in nurse, Mary McGrath, to join a convent.
“While in Italy, her mental state unraveled further, as she became engrossed in esoteric religious and philosophical currents, including mortification and theosophy, and was convinced that God wanted her to commit a sacrificial murder,” according to the Post.
Gibson also came to believe that she should be the victim of that murder, and in February 1925, she fired a pistol into her chest.
Miraculously, she survived.
After she recovered, Gibson refocused on her morbid quest, setting her sights on a new target: Mussolini.
Benito Mussolini leaving for Tripoli sporting a bandaged nose one month after his assassination attempt. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The opportunity came April 7, 1926, as Mussolini walked through a crowd of supporters after giving a speech to a conference of surgeons in Rome. While walking through the square, Il Duce came within mere feet of Gibson when the small, “disheveled-looking” woman removed a revolver hidden within a black veil “and fired at him at point-blank range,” Siobhán Lynam, a producer who created a radio documentary on Gibson, told The World.
As luck would have it, at the exact moment Gibson fired her weapon, Mussolini turned his head — his attention turning to a group of students who were singing a song in the dictator’s honor.
Instead of striking him square in the face, the bullet grazed the bridge of his nose, sparing his life.
Gibson tried to shoot him again, but the gun misfired.
She was then dragged down by a mob and beaten severely until the police escorted her away.
Mussolini was quickly treated and even rejoined the crowd. Sporting a bandage across his nose, he told supporters that the attack was “a mere trifle.”
Gibson’s embarrassed family wrote to the Italian government, apologizing for her actions.
Mussolini declined to press charges, and his would-be assassin was deported back to England. Once there, Gibson was diagnosed as a “chronic paranoiac” and sent to St. Andrew’s Hospital where she lived out her days until her death in 1956 at the age of 79.
No family members attended her funeral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which invention has done the most damage to the earth?
The best inventions allow us to live more comfortably. However, there have been some unfortunate inventions.
One such invention is also the internal combustion engine. This invention was a key to the industrial revolution, and has made our lives much easier. But, fossil fuels can also produce carbon dioxide which can contribute to global warming.
Another invention is the laser. This device can even destroy objects hundreds of miles away. It can also cause blindness or burns that can lead to death.
Another example of this is the atomic blast. An entire city could be destroyed by the explosion of this weapon.
Because inventions make our lives easier, they are fantastic. There are also times when inventions can cause harm. These harmful inventions include lasers and internal combustion engines, nuclear weapons, and atomic blasts.
Which is the most significant achievement in the field medicine?
Modern medicine was transformed by penicillin's discovery. Alexander Fleming didn't know how crucial his discovery of penicillin would be. His discovery led to antibiotic development, which saved many lives.
This breakthrough made the world a better place. We live longer and healthier lives today.
Fleming, however, did more than simply discover an anti-biotic. He also discovered a method for growing large amounts of bacteria. This meant that scientists could study them for the first time.
Fleming's discovery provided us with insights into our bodies, and helped us to understand diseases in ways we could not have imagined. For example, it allowed doctors to identify the cause of tuberculosis.
The discovery penicillin led to a shift in public health policy. Before penicillin, infections such as meningitis or pneumonia were treated with toxic medications.
Patients could, however, be treated with penicillin without the risk of death.
Since its invention, penicillin has been used for the treatment of bacterial infections. Penicillin is today considered to be the greatest medical advance of all time.
Fleming’s breakthrough is noteworthy for two reasons. First, Fleming worked alone and was isolated from the rest.
Second, he published the results in Nature journal.
He knew exactly what he had discovered and could publish his findings. He was a pioneer.
He didn't know the exact direction his research would take, but he just followed his instincts. It paid off. And that's why I think he deserves recognition as the father of microbiology.
Alexander Fleming, 65 years old, died in 1955. He spent the entirety of his career at St Mary's Hospital London.
He retired and returned to Scotland. He was there until his death.
Which are the greatest human achievements of the last 50 years?
This is the greatest accomplishment of humanity in the last 50 years. It allows us to communicate with incredible speed and accuracy over vast distances. This is, without doubt, the single most important technological advancement in human history.
The internet is a collection of tubes that connect the world. These tubes are made from fiber optic cables. Each cable can transmit information at speeds of up to 10 gigabits each second, which is more that 1 million times faster than the average broadband connection.
This technology allows us all to exchange ideas, knowledge, culture, and information across the globe. We've gone from having to physically travel to another country to now being able to access any information instantly.
Amazing advances in medicine and science have been made possible by our ability to share information. Scientists can now sequence genes in a fraction the time it took to do so twenty years ago.
Technological advances have enabled researchers to simulate complex biological processes in real-time. This means that we are finally beginning to uncover the secrets behind diseases like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
These breakthroughs could potentially save millions of lives.
However, there is a downside to this amazing technology. We have become increasingly dependent on the internet in recent years for our daily activities. This dependence has caused many problems such as cyberbullying, identity theft, and online scams.
The problem might be even worse. As people become more dependent on the internet, the danger of a global collapse in digital technology increases.
As our internet dependence increases, so do our vulnerabilities to its failures. Businesses will experience a drop in productivity of billions of USD if the internet goes offline for even a moment. Our health records, financial transactions, and government communications would be compromised.
Already, we are seeing signs of what could happen if the internet goes down. Just think back to Hurricane Sandy, when the storm knocked out power to many homes and businesses in the eastern United States. Within days hackers had stolen credit card numbers using the internet outage.
Look around your house and you will see many devices connected via the internet. Amazon can be connected to your fridge so you can order food online. Your car can view traffic conditions and make reservations. Your car can even turn your lights off remotely. All of these things are possible because they all have small microprocessors inside them that allow them to communicate with one another through the internet.
These microprocessors were unable to transmit data over their networks when Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast. This caused cars to stop and start, fridges to order food, and lights not turn on. It caused chaos during an emergency.
The same thing could happen during a national disaster like a natural catastrophe or terrorist attack. Imagine how difficult it would be for police officers to respond to crimes or medical emergencies. How would hospitals manage patient care without computers? What about communication among citizens and government agencies
The good news is that the infrastructure needed to prevent something like this from happening is already in place. Critical services such as water treatment plants and power plants are already designed to withstand storms similar to hurricanes. But, these systems aren’t built to withstand the complete loss of electricity caused by large-scale cyberattacks.
If hackers took over a nuclear station, they could shut it down in just seconds. They could also cause panic by contaminating the water supply.
The infrastructure is there, but the question is: Will we ever be serious about building resilience to the system?
Two scientists from MIT published a 2005 paper called "A Failure Model For Cloud Computing". They presented a future in which there is no single point of failure. Every device is vulnerable to multiple failure points. For instance, imagine that your smartphone loses its battery instead of just losing your laptop. The phone and the computer both need to be taken apart.
To keep us safe in the past, we could rely on certain key components such as electrical grids or telephone lines. However, cloud-based computing is becoming more popular as people put more of their lives online. We are relying on technology without much testing in real-world conditions. And now that we're doing that, we need to ensure that those technologies are resilient enough to handle disasters like hurricanes or massive cyberattacks.
This is why I am so excited about the work of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST is working together with industry professionals to develop standards that will allow us to build resilience in our technology. These standards will ensure that when we go online, everything works together seamlessly. Our phones can still function even when the power goes off. Our refrigerators still order us dinner. Traffic reports tell us where the roads are.
We'll be more prepared for any situation if our devices can communicate.
Which invention is the most significant in human history?
If you look back at history, the obvious answer is yes. However, today's answers are not always the same. Some believe it was fire, others electricity, while some claim the wheel. Some also mention the printing press. Others use penicillin. Other people say the telephone.
However, it doesn’t matter as everyone has the same answer: the ability and willingness to communicate.
Communication is key to human advancement. Communication allows us to learn, grow, to evolve. We make art, we share lives, teach, heal, are loved, we laugh, cry, hope, dream, live, die.
The power of communication is what makes us who we are.
No matter how many years pass, the answer to this question remains constant, no matter what the topic is: the inventions and inventions of language, internet, or writing.
The invention is a way of communicating. The invention is a method of communicating knowledge, ideas or thoughts.
There is nothing more important than communication.
This is why we must invent.
What are the most significant achievements of humans?
Technology has been created by humans, including the printing press, radios, televisions, computers and mobile phones. Many of these inventions have been credited with greatly changing our lives. We may be able to see the positive impact these inventions made on our lives.
The Internet alone has had a profound impact on almost all aspects of our lives. Now we have access to information and education as well entertainment, shopping, news, dating, social networking, and other related services. This list could go on forever.
There are many examples where inventions can have an impact on daily life. Inventions such as airplanes and automobiles make travel more convenient and quicker. Also, innovations such as electricity, air conditioning, refrigerators, microwaves, and digital cameras make our modern world run smoothly.
As time goes on, technology continues to change our lives. Inventions such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart watches, self-driving cars, virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, and drones are improving life.
Technology is always changing. New inventions keep popping out, which makes it hard to stay ahead of the curve. So, it's important to learn about the latest technological advancements.
Here are 10 incredible inventions that have changed our lives.
- Printing Press
- Radio
- Television
- Computers
- Mobile Phones
- Airplanes
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Laptop
- Digital Camera
Today, many people love living in high-tech societies. This is something that was impossible centuries ago. But, books became easily accessible thanks to the invention of printing presses. Books were once only for monks, priests, or royalty. Anyone can now read.
Our daily lives are enriched by books. You use them every day to study, learn, and be educated. Did you know that reading requires some parts of your anatomy? For interaction with books, your ears, eyes nose, mouth and fingers are all necessary.
You can use books to learn, but did you know that there are other uses for them? You can use them to do hobbies, work, or exercise. For example, to learn how to draw you will need a book. To become a writer you will need to write down your stories.
When you next pick up a book think about all the possibilities. You'll be amazed at how many uses there are.
Why is fire considered the greatest achievement for mankind?
Fire is a powerful force of nature, and a symbol for power and energy. We even name days of the weeks based upon how much fire they contain. This is because fire has such a significant place in our culture. Tuesday is an example of a "fire-day" day because it marks the time when the sun sets.
It can also be used to represent heat, but fire is also used for other purposes. Fire can be used to symbolize strength, power, passion and action. So why does fire rank as the greatest achievement of mankind?
Fire is the most powerful element of the universe. It represents the beginning and end, source and destination. There's no better way to express its versatility than this.
Fire has many uses beyond providing heat and light. Humans use fire to make art and cook food, as well as provide heat and light for reading and studying.
But we also use fire to destroy - destroying trees to make paper or burning coal to produce electricity. Fire is also used as a weapon to kill animals for meat and even as a tool to help us communicate.
Fire, while it may appear like a negative element, is actually quite beneficial. It's actually quite beneficial for us. It helps us survive, protect ourselves and provides entertainment.
Statistics
- The linear view of human evolution began to be abandoned in the 1970s as different species of humans were discovered, which made the linear concept increasingly unlikely. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Retrieved April 26, 2015. Sequence differences from the human genome were confirmed to be ∼1% in areas that can be precisely aligned, representing ∼35 million single base-pair differences. (en.wikipedia.org)
- dating of two H.nalediteeth, to 253+82−70 ka, for an estimated age of the fossils of 253+82−17 ka. (en.wikipedia.org)
- This migration out of Africa is estimated to have begun about 70–50,000 years BP, and modern humans subsequently spread globally, replacing earlier hominins either through competition or hybridization. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Some 45 million nucleotides of insertions and deletions unique to each lineage were also discovered, making the actual difference between the two genomes ∼4%. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
web.archive.org
britannica.com
doi.org
- Evolutionary Biology: The Hybrid Origin of "Modern Humans"
- ScienceDirect: The Mosaic Humans, a hybrid species
nytimes.com
- Grappling With the Cost Of Saving Earth's Ozone (Published 1990)
- For Evolving Brains: A 'Paleo" Diet of Carbs. The New York Times
How To
11 Inventions That Changed The Course Of History
The invention and use of the wheel has changed how we move. The invention of the printing press transformed how information is distributed. The inventions of the airplane and helicopter changed our relationship with space.
Some inventions, however, have had more profound impacts on the world. Here are eleven examples.
- The Microscope - Scientists were able to see life through a microscope for first time.
- The Telescope- This instrument revolutionized astronomy. Telescopes enabled us to see objects from millions of light-years away.
- Camera Obscura – This invention enabled us to capture images from the sky.
- The Steam Engine – With the steam engine we can harness energy that would otherwise be wasted.
- The Printing Press - This invention made books accessible to everyone. Before the printing press, most people couldn't read.
- The Compass: The compass simplifies travel. Sailing no longer relies on luck to get to their destination.
- The Lighthouse: Beacons such a lighthouse help to guide ships safely to port.
- The Surgical Knife- These knives are used to perform surgery without having to remove vital organs.
- The Firearm-Firearms permit citizens to defend themselves.
- The Watch - Clocks make our lives more convenient. You no longer need to worry how you keep time in different activities.
- Calculator - Computers can calculate at lightning speed. They're used by scientists, accountants, engineers, and many other professionals.
Did you miss our previous article...
https://lessonsbeyondthestory.com/history-of-man/how-this-escaped-slave-got-his-revenge-on-the-confederacy
