The Assassination Of John F. Kennedy
Library of CongressMinutes before his death at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald, John F. Kennedy is seen here with his wife Jacqueline and the governor and First Lady of Texas.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy is perhaps more responsible for the renown of his family name than any of his relatives.
In three short years, his was one of the most active presidencies of the 20th century, laying the groundwork for substantial civil rights and economic reforms as well as deepening worrisome U.S. involvement in conflicts in Vietnam and Cuba.
He also lit the way for the American entry into space, famously promising to put astronauts on the moon by the end of the 1960s.
President Kennedy was also active in Democratic Party affairs, which took him to Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, to mediate a local political dispute.
As he rode through the streets of Dallas in an open-topped convertible with his wife, Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and First Lady of Texas Nellie Connally, assassin Lee Harvey Oswald shot the young president through the head from a sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository.
Just 30 minutes later, the 46-year-old president was pronounced dead, shocking the nation and the world. Mystery has surrounded the assassination ever since, with nearly 60% of Americans believing his death was the result of a conspiracy. Sadly, he would be far from the last victim of the Kennedy curse.
