'Rawhide Down: The Reagan Assassination Attempt'

Special Program Looks Back 30 Years Ago at an Unforgettable Day in American History

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, March 23, the Newseum will host a special evening program to remember March 30, 1981 — the day would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in an attempt to kill President Ronald Reagan, wounding the president and three others.

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The program will feature a rare joint public appearance by Secret Service agent Jerry Parr and George Washington University Hospital surgeon Dr. Joseph Giordano, two men who played key roles in saving President Reagan's life. Archival news footage will illustrate the drama and confusion created by conflicting reports of the president's condition, and Parr and Giordano will recount their harrowing experiences at the center of a national nightmare.

PBS NewsHour senior correspondent Judy Woodruff will moderate the program. At the time of the assassination attempt, Woodruff was chief White House correspondent for NBC News and reported the shooting. Del Quentin Wilber, an award-winning Washington Post reporter and author of the new book "Rawhide Down," will also participate in the program. "Rawhide Down," which takes its title from President Reagan's Secret Service code name, is a minute-by-minute account of the assassination attempt that draws on extensive interviews with eyewitnesses, including Parr and Giordano, to chronicle the dramatic events of that day.

The special program is open to the public and will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Newseum's Walter and Leonore Annenberg Theater. Admission is $10 for the general public and free for Newseum members. Tickets are required and are available online at newseum.org or at the Newseum admission desk during regular operating hours.

This event is supported by a generous gift to the Newseum from Henry Holt and Company.

SOURCE Newseum