what does "fantastic events"indicate?
The swiftness of the blow intensified the national trauma. There is no way to cushion the shock of an assassination, but the knowledge that fantastic events were in progress at that very moment, coupled with the maddening uncertainty, had created a havoc which had swept up tens of millions of Americans. The immediacy of a running account, however piecemeal, outstrips any report of an accomplished fact. If a thing is done, it is done; if it is being done, the spectator feels that the outcome may be altered—may even feel that he himself may alter it. Audiences are under the illusion that they are on stage. In a sense they are. Their yearning puts them there.

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Answer

This looks very familiar. Didn't I answer this question already?

Either way, in this case, "fantastic" is used to mean unbelievable or shocking, and it has a negative connotation (in other words, that the events are bad, rather than good).

It's important to note, though, that most English speakers will NOT use "fantastic" in this way. Typically, it is used to mean something surprising, but the word usually has a positive connotation (in other words, the event it describes is a good thing).

Here's an example:

Did you hear? Bob got a promotion! That's fantastic!

In this case, the speaker is saying that Bob's promotion was a very good surprise. They certainly don't think Bob's promotion was unbelievable or bad.

Hope that helps!

Answer

Danielle is right.   In this case, the assassination of a president and the events which followed were both unbelievable and shocking.  Fantastic--so extreme as to challenge belief : unbelievable.

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