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JOHN F. KENNEDY’S EARLY LIFE
Born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts -
Jack joined the U.S. Navy
Jack joined the U.S. Navy in 1941 and two years later was sent to the South Pacific, where he was given command of a Patrol-Torpedo (PT) boat -
Japanese Destroyer
In August 1943, a Japanese destroyer struck the craft, PT-109, in the Solomon Islands -
Awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Kennedy helped some of his marooned crew back to safety, and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism. -
Dead of hos brother
His older brother, Joe Jr., was not so fortunate: He was killed in August 1944 when his Navy airplane exploded on a secret mission against a German rocket-launching site. -
Kennedy married
On September 12, 1953, Kennedy married the beautiful socialite and journalist Jacqueline (Jackie) Lee Bouvier. -
Profiles in Courage
Jack wrote another best-selling book, “Profiles in Courage,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1957. (The book was later revealed to be mostly the work of Kennedy’s longtime aide, Theodore Sorenson.) -
Battle with Richard Nixon
In the general election, Kennedy faced a difficult battle against his Republican opponent, Richard Nixon -
First-ever televised debates
first-ever televised debates, watched by millions of viewers. In November’s election, Kennedy won by a narrow margin–less than 120,000 out of some 70 million votes cast–becoming the youngest man and the first Roman Catholic to be elected president of the United States. -
Kennedy's Family
With his beautiful young wife and their two small children (Caroline, born in 1957, and John Jr., born just weeks after the election) -
Cold War
In his inaugural address, given on January 20, 1961, the new president called on his fellow Americans to work together in the pursuit of progress and the elimination of poverty, but also in the battle to win the ongoing Cold War against communism around the world. -
Kennedy's famous words
Kennedy’s famous closing words expressed the need for cooperation and sacrifice on the part of the American people: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” -
Early crisis in the foreign affairs
An early crisis in the foreign affairs arena occurred in April 1961, when Kennedy approved the plan to send 1,400 CIA-trained Cuban exiles in an amphibious landing at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. -
Spur a rebellion
Intended to spur a rebellion that would overthrow the communist leader Fidel Castro, -
Discuss the city of Berlin
That June, Kennedy met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna to discuss the city of Berlin -
Missile sites in Cuba
After learning that the Soviet Union was constructing a number of nuclear and long-range missile sites in Cuba that could pose a threat to the continental United States, Kennedy announced a naval blockade of Cuba. -
Peace Corps
During his first year in office, Kennedy oversaw the launch of the Peace Corps -
Two biggest priorities
he was unable to achieve much of his proposed legislation during his lifetime, including two of his biggest priorities: income tax cuts and a civil rights bill. -
West Berliners of U.S.
Kennedy sent an army convoy to reassure West Berliners of U.S. support, and would deliver one of his most famous speeches in West Berlin in June 1963. -
Kennedy won his greatest foreign affairs victory
In July 1963, Kennedy won his greatest foreign affairs victory when Khrushchev agreed to join him and Britain’s Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in signing a nuclear test ban treaty. -
March on Washington
Kennedy announced his intention to propose a comprehensive civil rights bill and endorsed the massive March on Washington that took place that August. -
JFK’S ASSASSINATION
On November 22, 1963, the president and his wife landed in Dallas; he had spoken in San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth the day before. From the airfield, the party then traveled in a motorcade to the Dallas Trade Mart, the site of Jack’s next speaking engagement. Shortly after 12:30 p.m., as the motorcade was passing through downtown Dallas, shots rang out; Kennedy was struck twice, in the neck and head, and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital.
