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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at into History.com. It's May 13th, 1981 in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City.

It's a sunny afternoon, Mehmet Aliaja, a young man from Turkey,

lingers among the crowd of pilgrims and tourists

packed into the shadows of St. Peter's Basilica.

A white open-top car crawls slowly across the cobblestones. Standing in the back is Pope John

Paul II. And as the car moves through the square, the Pope reaches down and touches the

outstretched hands of the faithful. He blesses the crowd speaking in several languages.

All the while, Aja carefully tracks the Pope's movements.

John Paul II is a relatively new Pope having served only three years and at 61 he's the

youngest Pope and centuries. That might be why he's more willing to take risks than

his advisors would like. Journalists have commented that this weekly open top car ride leaves him exposed to attack.

But the Pope loves seeing his people face to face.

It's energizing for him, and he believes that God will protect him from harm.

Aja doesn't care about the Pope's reason for his weekly outings, only that they happen

because unlike every other person in the square

Aja is no pilgrim. As the Pope's car draws near,

Aja reaches into his jacket and hocks a 9mm browning semi-automatic pistol hidden in his pocket.

When the Pope is only feet away, Aja pulls out the gun and fires four shots in quick succession.

The Pope cries out in pain, and St. Peter's Square erupts in chaos.

...