The year was 1881, and President James A. Garfield had been in office for less than four months when he planned on taking a trip to New England for his summer vacation. While the president’s spirits were high, the fateful day on which he was set to leave would actually turn for the worse.
An assassination attempt was carried out against the president on July 2. And although he was shot twice from behind, he only died two months later. What's more, Garfield would have survived if it hadn’t been for medical malpractice.
What, exactly, were the causes of his death? And who was really responsible? Click on to find out.