Happy Friday the 13th! It just so happens that today is the 30th anniversary of the shooting of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square. Hit by four bullets fired from a 9mm pistol some 15 feet away, the Pope was struck twice in the stomach, once in the right arm and little finger. Because of this incident, the Popemobile was born.
The Mercedes-Benz Popemobile was built in 1980 for John Paul II’s visit to Germany to help protect him from bad weather. Following the assassination attempt, the bodywork was furnished with bulletproof glazing. The custom-built vehicle subsequently accompanied the Pope on all of his journeys, including when the Pope visited Australia in 1995. The Popemobile now lives at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
