1981 — The Assassination of Anwar Sadat

In Cairo on October 6, 1981, President Anwar Sadat stood before thousands at a grand military parade marking eight years since Egypt's army crossed the Suez Canal. Sadat was the first Arab leader to make peace with Israel, a deal that won him the Nobel Prize and made him enemies at home. As fighter jets roared overhead, gunmen hidden in the parade opened fire, and within two minutes Sadat lay dead in his reviewing stand.

His vice president, Hosni Mubarak, would rule Egypt for the next thirty years. Millions mourned Sadat at his funeral, while leaders around the world praised the peacemaker taken too soon. One parade, and one man's quest for peace, changed Egypt's course for a generation.