April 14th, 2015 will mark the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. This critical moment in American history will be examined in LINCOLN'S LAST DAY, an original one-hour Smithsonian Channel documentary that retraces the events leading up to the fatal shot, premiering on April 13th at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Through a rare collection of personal artifacts connected to the Lincoln assassination, LINCOLN'S LAST DAY unravels the movements of each player in the deadly plot. By exploring the objects that survived - possessions like Lincoln's gold watch and hat, as well as John Wilkes Booth's diary and derringer - the special tells the story of a moment that is seared into the American psyche and altered the course of history.
LINCOLN'S LAST DAY counts down the hours leading up to Lincoln's assassination. Computer generated maps of1865 Washington, D.C. are used to track the movements of the President, along with Booth, and his co-conspirators as they cross paths in the hours before the plot unfolds on the evening of April 14th. Unique artifacts from both the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and Ford's Theatre help paint a picture of those harrowing moments, including Lincoln's hat and Booth's gun which was recovered from the scene of the crime.
April 14, 1865 was a decisive day in American history. The Confederate Army had surrendered 5 days earlier. A grand celebration in the nation's capital was planned for the following night. Abraham Lincoln told his wife that he finally realized the war was over. But a band of Confederate sympathizers had other plans. John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators plotted a "decapitation strike" on the American government that might avenge the defeated South and throw the future of the Union into doubt.
The assassination is also being commemorated by Ford's Theatre with programming including: an around-the-clock vigil on April 14 and 15 marking the events of Lincoln's shooting and death; a special exhibition "Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination"; a series of historian-led tours and panel discussions; a musical inspired by Lincoln's words and the people of the Civil War; performances of the Ford Theatre Society's one-act play One Destiny; "History on Foot"; walking tours, and more. Full details are at www.bitly.com/Fords150.
Additionally, Lincoln's carriage, which transported the President, Mary Todd Lincoln, Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée Clara Harris to Ford's Theatre, will be on display at the National Museum of American History through May 25, 2015.
LINCOLN'S LAST DAY is produced by The Biscuit Factory for Smithsonian Channel. Molly Herman is executive producer for The Biscuit Factory. Executive producers for
Smithsonian Channel are Tim Evans, Charles Poe and David Royle.
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