In 1974, an unemployed former tire salesman attempted to hijack an airplane and crash it into the White House to kill Richard Nixon. He was unsuccessful.

He did get on a plane, and managed to shoot a few people (including both pilots and a Police Officer) before he shot himself.

The nutjob recorded several audio tapes at various stages of his not-too-well-thought-out plot (he shot the pilots, but didn’t know how to fly), and mailed them to some people (including a reporter, and the guy who invented the Polio vaccine) before he went to the airport.

Apparently there was a movie about this in 2004, but it starred Sean Penn, so you know I didn’t see it.

Bonus Trivia: A few days before this genius executed his stellar plot, an Army Private stole a helicopter and crash landed it on the White House Lawn (after it was shot down). He was mad because the Army didn’t think he was fit to be a pilot.

Source: The History Channel