I don't know how often this is discussed, but I'm curious. How might things have turned out if Lincoln hadn't been killed by Booth, either that he survived the assassination attempt somehow, or if say Booth had chickened out in the end. Would it have had any major lasting effect on things, assuming someone else didn't try to do the same thing?
...and now I'm having the image in my head of Lincoln bumping into Booth earlier that day, somehow recognizing him as the actor he was, and saying he'd always wanted to see him perform, said comment ending up being what makes Booth decide to abandon the plan.*
*I could swear that I remember reading something about Lincoln expressing a desire to see him perform.