If you were to think politics has evolved a long way from the rough and tumble time of Sophocles, consider the Greek tragedy that unfolded when a former marine, Oliver Sipple, saved the life of American President Gerald Ford on a fall San Francisco day in 1975. By complete coincidence, this man happened to notice an assassin leveling a gun at Ford and he lunged at the assailant, resulting in the bullet just missing its target, but striking someone else. Sipple, suddenly a hero to a hero-hungry nation, got a letter from the President acknowledging this unique act of courage and personally thanking him. But as unwanted media attention continued to grow, Sipple…
Source: Greek Tragedy and the “Twinkie Defense” | Theory Of Irony
First Night History 