On this day, June 13, in 1981, a teenage boy fired shots from close range at Queen Elizabeth II during a royal ceremony in London.

The queen, riding on horseback, was uninjured. Her mare, Burmese, reared up and darted ahead, but the queen remained composed and quickly brought her mount under control.

The gun, it turned out, only fired blanks.

Members of the crowd and police quickly took down the shooter, Marcus Sarjeant. He had a note saying he wanted to become most famous teenager in the world.

Sarjeant, who was obsessed with the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and John Lennon, planned to kill the queen, but could not get his hands on ammunition.

Sarjeant was sentenced to five years in prison, and released after three.

-- Scott McCabe