Death by Lightning , out on Netflix Nov. 6, traces the assassination of President James Garfield, who was shot on July 2, 1881—four months into his term—and died from his injuries a few months later at the age of 49.

The four-episode series starts at the contentious 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago, where U.S. Senator John Sherman (Alistair Petrie) tapped the Ohio congressman and farmer James Garfield ( Michael Shannon ) to speak on behalf of his presidential candidacy because he knew Garfield was a charismatic speaker. But delegates were torn between Sherman, Maine’s U.S. Senator James Blaine (Bradley Whitford) and the 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant (Wayne Brett), so 36 ballots later, they chose to nominate Garfield instead because his speech was so inspiring.

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