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Birth
John F. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts to Joseph and Rose Kennedy. -
Family Moves
Kennedy family moves to Riverdale, N.Y. -
Enrolling in Choate
Choate Rosemary Hall is one of the most pretigious and well known prep schools in the country. Located in Wallington, CT. -
Gradutation from Choate
He ranked 64th in his class of 112. -
Enrolling in Princeton
He ends up dropping out due to a sickness later in the school year. -
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Time in Harvard University
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Senior Thesis
JFK writes his senior thesis, on English foreign policy before World War2. -
Thesis is Published
JFK's thesis is published, under the title Why England Slept. -
JFK enters the U.S. Armed Forces
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Serving and commanding
JFK serves on, and then commands, a Motor Torpedo Boat, or "PT Boat," in the South Pacific. -
Attack of PT boat
JFK's PT boat is rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Most of the crew was resuced and JFK recieved the purple heart. -
Submission into hospital
JFK enters Boston's Chelsea Naval Hospital with a lower back condition. -
Joseph Kennedy Jr. is killed
Joseph Kennedy, Jr. is killed while flying a mission over Europe. -
Discharge
JFK is discharged from the Navy. -
Victory of Democratic primary
JFK wins the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' Eleventh Congressional District. -
JFK is elected to the House of Representatives.
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Second term
JFK is elected to a second term in the House. While on a trip to England, he is diagnosed with Addison's Disease. His condition is kept secret from the public. -
JFK is elected to a third term in the House.
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JFK defeats Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr for senate
JFK defeats Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. to win election to the United States Senate. In the presidential election, Dwight Eisenhower and his running mate, Richard Nixon, defeat Adlai Stevenson. -
JFK marries Jacqueline Bouvier
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Joseph McCarthy is censured by the U.S. Senate
Joseph McCarthy is censured by the U.S. Senate. JFK abstains from voting on the resolution. -
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"Profiles in Courage"
JFK "writes" Profiles in Courage, a history of heroic American senators. Actually, the book is largely written by his speechwriter, Theodore Sorensen. -
Daughter is born
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy, JFK's daughter, is born. -
Re-election
JFK wins re-election to the Senate. -
Nomination
JFK wins the Democratic nomination for president and picks Lyndon Johnson as his running mate. -
Presidential Elections
JFK defeats Nixon and becomes president. -
Son born
Birth of John F. Kennedy, Jr. -
Sworn in
John F. Kennedy is sworn in as President of the United States. -
Peace corps.
JFK announces the establishment of the Peace Corps. -
Invation of Cuba
Attempted U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba ends in disaster at the Bay of Pigs. -
Summit in Vienna
JFK and Nikita Khrushchev hold a summit in Vienna. -
"Alliance for Progress"
U.S.A. and Latin American nations join in the "Alliance for Progress." -
Steel Industry
JFK forces the steel industry to eliminate a price increase. -
Soviet missile emplacements
The U.S. obtains photos of Soviet missile emplacements in Cuba, bringing about the Cuban Missile Crisis -
Naval quarantine
JFK announces naval quarantine of Cuba. -
Soviet Union agrees to remove its missiles from Cuba.
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"Moral Crisis"
JFK calls civil rights struggle a "moral crisis" for America. -
U.S. and Soviet Union agree to a nuclear test-ban treaty.
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Overthrows the government
U.S.-backed coup overthrows the government of South Vietnam, replaces it with a military dictatorship -
Assassination
JFK is assassinated while riding through the streets of Dallas, Texas. Lyndon Johnson becomes president.
