Mudd Day

Mudd Day is a holiday that commemorates the man who was wrongfully convicted of plotting to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Today people come together to remember historical events and avoid fatal mistakes. The date is known far beyond the US.

History

Samuel Mudd is an American doctor imprisoned for conspiring with a real killer named John Wilkes Booth. The offender was a hereditary actor and wanted to crack down on Lincoln loudly: right at the theatrical performance at the moment of the cue, when the audience laughs and applauds. After shooting the president, Booth jumped off the stage and broke his leg, which Samuel treated. The doctor did not ask a word about what had happened, put a splint on the limb and made an injection – the patient and his associates immediately disappeared.

During the trial, the name of the doctor inevitably surfaced, he was sentenced to capital punishment – execution. Later, the sentence was reduced to life imprisonment in the terrible Fort Jefferson prison. Here were terrible conditions for prisoners and the most cruel rules. Mudd decided to escape, but he was caught and chained to the wall for 7 days. In 1867, a pandemic attacked the fort, and the doctor was tasked with finding a vaccine: he did it and saved more than 200 people! Samuel was pardoned and lived in freedom for 16 years.

Interesting facts

Did you know that:

• even after the pardon, the charge was not dropped from the doctor;
• Samuel was a true hero to all who whiled away the time at the fort;
• a family was waiting at home – a wife and four children, who suddenly found themselves without a breadwinner;
• the doctor really did not like the president and more than once expressed harsh judgments.

How to celebrate

Find out about the events of that day in Mudd Day: it’s interesting and creepy at the same time. Tell your friends about the strength of mind of an innocent doctor who endured adversity with his head held high. Express your opinion on social networks!

When is Mudd Day celebrated in 2022?

Mudd Day is observed on December 20 each year.

Observations