Netflix’s Death by Lightning presents a captivating investigation into the circumstances surrounding President James Garfield’s (Michael Shannon) assassination by Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen). This series is inspired by Candice Millard’s 2011 nonfiction work, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President.

But to what extent is the series grounded in truth?

Here, we analyze Death by Lightning‘s most surprising moments to assess their historical fidelity. From preserved brains to haunting executions, here’s what the series truthfully depicts about Garfield and Guiteau’s narratives (and what has been embellished).

Is Charles Guiteau’s brain truly in storage?

Death by Lightning begins with the remarkable detail that in 1969, almost a century after Garfield’s assassination, Guiteau’s brain was kept at the Army Medical Museum in Washington, D.C. The series finale discloses that during Guiteau’s autopsy, physicians inspected his brain for indications of mental disorders but detected nothing unusual apart from a thick dura mater membrane.

Since that time, sections of Guiteau’s brain have been stored at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia and the National Museum of Health and Medicine. His enlarged spleen was also preserved.

In a twist of irony, while Guiteau’s brain found its way into a museum, the ivory-handled revolver he utilized to murder Garfield — selected for its “museum quality,” as noted by Guiteau in the series — is not currently displayed. Once held in the Smithsonian collection, it has since gone missing.

Was Charles Guiteau affiliated with the Oneida Community?

Indeed, he was. Guiteau became a member of the Oneida Community, a religious group promoting utopian ideals and free love, in 1860. His father had a connection with Oneida founder John Humphrey Noyes. (This is the same Oneida known for Oneida Silverware.)

As shown in Death by Lightning, Guiteau did not enjoy any free love. The women of the community dubbed him “Charles Gitout.” Guiteau departed from Oneida in 1865, convinced he was “destined to fulfill some significant mission.” At that point, he probably did not anticipate that he would end up shooting a future president.

Did Charles Guiteau actually meet James Garfield?

He did. While Death by Lightning dramatizes their encounter, it is grounded in a real event. Guiteau regularly frequented the White House, seeking a role in Garfield’s administration. Initially, he corresponded with Garfield regarding a ministerial position in Austria but later expressed a preference for the consulship in Paris.

During one of these visits, Guiteau met Garfield and gave him a copy of his campaign speech, annotating “Paris consulship” alongside his name to ensure Garfield grasped his request.

Guiteau also crossed paths with Vice President Chester A. Arthur (Nick Offerman) frequently in New York. While Millard does not recount Arthur pushing Guiteau in Chicago or encountering him during a drunken evening, she notes that Guiteau sought Arthur at campaign headquarters, on the street, or at his residence. Arthur never permitted him entry but did allow him to present a stump speech to a small gathering in New York.

Did Alexander Graham Bell attempt to assist James Garfield after he was shot?

Yes! Alexander Graham Bell’s inclusion in Death by Lightning‘s concluding episode is historically accurate.

According to the National Park Service, Bell learned about Doctor Willard Bliss’ efforts to locate the bullet in Garfield’s body — efforts that ultimately led to the infection which caused Garfield’s death — and believed he could offer assistance. He modified his induction balance work regarding the telephone to create a metal detector.

Bell experimented with his device on wooden planks, animal remains, and Civil War veterans with bullets embedded in them. When he brought it to the White House, Bliss insisted that Bell search exclusively the right side of Garfield’s chest, where he thought the bullet was situated. However, the bullet was actually located on the left side. Bell might have been successful had it not been for Bliss’ incompetence.

How did James Garfield die?

As stated in Death by Lightning‘s finale, Garfield succumbed to infection, not from the bullet wound. He survived 79 days after the