Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, while attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. He was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, and died the following day. Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and had been instrumental in leading the nation during the Civil War. His assassination was a pivotal moment in American history, leading to widespread grief and a significant shift in the nation's political landscape. The event marked the first assassination of a U.S. president and is still remembered each year on April 15, known as Lincoln’s assassination anniversary.