Was US President William McKinley Assassinated Because He Gave A Child A Red Carnation?
The 25th American President believed a flower he kept in his lapel was a good luck charm
Is luck real? Some people say no, while others swear it exists. Unscientific cases can be made for either side of the argument. One suggesting the power of good fortune is the story of 25th American President, William McKinley. He believed that red carnations he often wore as boutonnieres gave him luck. This was put to an unfortunate test in 1901 when he was greeting a crowd and gave a young girl the lucky flower from his lapel, and was then shot by an assassin just moments later — suffering wounds he died from just days later.
McKinley was born in 1843 in Niles, Ohio, to a modest family. After serving in the Civil War, he entered a career in law, which in turn propelled him into politics. Among other stations he held, he served as the Governor of Ohio; spent six years in Congress; and was voted the 25th President of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901.
His presidency marked a period of economic growth and expansion for the United States, which included the annexation of Hawaii, the acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines after the Spanish-American War…
