March 30, 1981

On this day in 1981, President Reagan was shot, only 69 days into the new administration. He–along with press secretary James Brady, Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy–was struck when would-be assassin, John Hinckley Jr., opened fire outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. Secret Service agent Jerry Par’s quick reflexes ultimately saved the President’s life. It was he who pushed Reagan into the limousine and out of Hinckley’s direct line of fire, and he again who changed route from the White House to the hospital, after realizing how badly Reagan had been injured.