John Wilkes Booth was an American actor born on May 10, 1838, in Bel Air, Maryland. He is best known for assassinating President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Booth was a supporter of the Confederacy during the American Civil War and believed that killing Lincoln would help the Southern cause. After the assassination, Booth fled the scene and was pursued by Union soldiers. He was eventually found in a barn in Virginia and was shot dead on April 26, 1865. Booth's actions had a profound impact on American history and led to significant changes in the nation’s political landscape.