Religion: Roman Catholic Education: Graduated from Harvard College (1940) Occupation: Author, public official Political Party: Democrat Other Government Positions:
Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1947-53
United States Senator, 1953-61
Presidential Salary: $100,000/year + $50,000 expense account (refused by Kennedy)
On May 5, Alan Shepard Jr. became the first American in space. In an address to Congress on May 25 Kennedy pledged the U.S. will put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
On August 13, East Germany began building the Berlin Wall.
On October 16, Kennedy informed about the existence of missiles in Cuba On October 22, Kennedy informed the American people and announced the subsequent naval quarantine. On October 28, the Cuban Missile Crisis ended.
1963
On June 12, civil rights activist Medgar Evers assassinated.
From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.
Created by Ralph Schuster, this is one of many conspiracy sites on the Internet on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In addition to the author's personal opinions, there is other useful information here -- a film and video library, an account of the events of November 22, 1963, the text of the Warren Report, and links to other JFK assassination sites.
A "living memorial" to Kennedy, an outspoken supporter of the arts. Located in Washington, D.C. Information on the history and performances at the Kennedy Center is also available.
Located on the Sixth Floor of the former Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas, this site is believed to be the location where Kennedy's assassin fired upon the presidential motorcade. Now a museum dedicated to the life of Kennedy. Tourist information is available.
Points of Interest:
Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125
83 Beals St, Brookline, MA 02446
Irving Ave, Hyannis, MA 02601
411 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75202
Arlington Cemetery
1 Sheridan Dr, Fort Myer, VA 22211
2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566
Additional Facts:
Kennedy was the first Catholic president.
On September 26, 1960, Kennedy participated in the first televised presidential debate along with Richard Nixon.
Kennedy was the first president to be inaugurated with a living grandparent.
Kennedy was the first president to have served in the Navy. He was also the first to be awarded the Purple Heart.
Kennedy was the only president to have a sibling serve in his cabinet.
Kennedy was the first president to be survived by both parents. His grandmother, Mary Josephine Hannon also survived him.
Kennedy's speech to the students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on October 14, 1960 was the start of the Peace Corps.
In his speech to a Joint Session of Congress on May 25, 1961, Kennedy set the goal of landing a man on the moon by 1969 for the United States's Space Program (NASA).
Kennedy gave a famous speech in West Berlin in June 1963 that emphasized the importance of the "free world" fighting the "Communist world". Two memorable phrases that he spoke in German were: "Lasst sie nach Berlin kommen," or "Let them come to Berlin"; and "Ich bin ein Berliner," or "I am a Berliner."
Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas Texas. He had spent little more than a thousand days in office before being assassinated.
In 1965, the report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (also known as the Warren Commission) found that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, fatally shot Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Three other government investigations were later conducted. All three agreed with the Warren Commission's conclusions that Oswald's shots did kill Kennedy. However, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) in 1979 also concluded that another shooter fired upon Kennedy from the Dealey Plaza grassy knoll and missed. The existence of a second shooter and many other conclusions in these investigations are very controversial.
Quotes:
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
“Life is never easy. There is work to be done and obligations to be met — obligations to truth, to justice, and to liberty.”
“The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.”
“If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.”
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
“Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”
“The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.”
“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.”
JFK’s Pulitzer Scandal and Cover-Up - a Presidential Story Ep. 27