Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Pop Culture»People
    People 5 Mins Read

    John F Kennedy

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 1 7 – 1 9 6 3

    Born in 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the second son of a millionaire Democrat power-broker, Joseph P Kennedy.

    Jack graduated from Harvard in 1940 and saw service with the Marines during WWII, winning the Navy and Marine Corps medal and the Purple Heart when he was wounded when his boat was cut in two by a Japanese destroyer.

    In 1947 Kennedy entered the house of representatives as a Democrat, and in 1952 was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts, defeating Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr, one of Eisenhower‘s leading supporters.

    In 1953 he married socialite Jacqueline Lee Bouvier.

    His father’s wealth helped secure his election as the Democratic presidential candidate in 1960, and at 43 years of age, he defeated Richard Nixon in the presidential election and became the youngest (and first-ever Roman Catholic) US president.

    On 20 January 1961, in a biting wind on a snow-covered Capitol Hill, power passed from the oldest-ever US President to the youngest as Kennedy took the oath as 35th President on the family Douai Bible. General Eisenhower, aged 70, now a plain citizen, was the first to rise and shake his hand.

    60s_kennedy&johnsonKennedy’s ten-minute inaugural address set a high literary tone. He said “now the trumpet summons us again . . . against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself”.

    He also appealed to the Soviets that both sides renew their quest for peace, warning “Let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain master of its own house”.

    In conclusion, the young president announced; “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.

    Handsome and intelligent, he and his wife Jackie seemed to signal a fresh start in politics, but his “new frontier” program of radical Civil Rights and social reform was stalled by Congress.

    Other initiatives included the establishment of the Alliance for Progress between the US and several Latin American countries, and of the Peace Corps, through which volunteers supplied Third World counties with skilled labour.

    In 1961, JFK authorised the US-backed Bay Of Pigs invasion of Cuba, planned during the previous administration, accepting responsibility when it went disastrously wrong.

    The following year, the Cuban missile crisis saw Kennedy demand the removal of Soviet nuclear bases from Cuba and order a US Naval blockade.

    For 13 days the world seemed close to nuclear war until the Soviet Union agreed to remove the weapons in return for a US assurance that Cuban territorial integrity would be respected.

    Relations between the two superpowers improved, and in 1963 the US, the Soviet Union and Britain signed a limited nuclear test ban treaty prohibiting the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, in outer space and underwater.

    On 22 November 1963, while on a campaigning tour of Texas, Kennedy was shot while being driven in an open car in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas. He died shortly afterwards.

    “When the president was assassinated,” said Don Hewitt, executive producer of America’s 60 Minutes, who spent his life in TV news, “people did not go to church or meetings. They came to their televisions, and everybody who was watching was, in a sense, holding hands”.

    Kennedy’s death caused worldwide grief and his funeral was attended by heads of state and their representatives from all over the world. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His “New Frontier” program was executed posthumously by President Lyndon B Johnson.

    The gunman was identified as Lee Harvey Oswald, a former marine who had served in the American forces and then lived in the USSR for some time until he was refused Soviet citizenship.

    On 24 November, Jack Ruby (a Dallas nightclub owner associated with both the underworld and the police) killed Oswald, live on television while millions of viewers watched.

    In the 30 years following JFK’s assassination, more than 2,000 books were published about his death and a number of conspiracy theories put forward, mostly involving the KGB, FBI, or CIA.

    The case was investigated by a special commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The commission determined that Oswald acted alone, although a later congressional committee re-examined the evidence and determined that Kennedy “was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy”.

    The US government was ordered in August 1999, to pay $16 million to the family of Abraham Zapruder for his colour film of President Kennedy’s assassination. Zapruder – who died in 1970 – shot the film which became major evidence in the investigation of the assassination.

    The US government will now own the historical film, which can be used for research purposes.

    In January 2000 the heirs of Zapruder donated the rights to the film, and a copy of the film, to the Sixth Floor Museum on the site of the assassination in Dallas, Texas.

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Joh Bjelke-Petersen
      Joh Bjelke-Petersen
      1 9 1 1 - 2 0 0 5 Johannes ("Joh") Bjelke-Petersen was an Australian right-wing politician, leader of the…
    • Gough Whitlam
      Gough Whitlam
      Born in 1916, Edward Gough Whitlam was elected to the Australian parliament in 1952 and became the leader of the…
    • Berlin Wall
      Berlin Wall
      In 1945, at the end of WWII, Germany was divided into a Soviet Zone in the East, and British, French…
    • Assassination of JFK (1963)
      Assassination of JFK (1963)
      President Kennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963 - shot in the head as he was driven through Dallas, Texas, in an…
    • Delvene Delaney
      Delvene Delaney
      Born in Mackay, Queensland, on 26 August 1951, Delvene Delaney found stardom as "the sheila" on The Paul Hogan Show in the…
    • Cuban Missile Crisis
      Cuban Missile Crisis
      In 1959 a revolution took place in Cuba and Fidel Castro came to power. He introduced a Soviet-style government on…
    • Malcolm Fraser
      Malcolm Fraser
      John Malcolm Fraser was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1930. The grandson of an influential politician and businessman, Fraser was…
    • Neville Bonner
      Neville Bonner
      Neville Thomas Bonner was the first Aborigine to be elected to Australia's federal parliament. He lived in poverty in the…

    Cold War JFK
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleJimmy Carter
    Next Article Jean Shrimpton

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Mysterious Cities of Gold, The
      1 9 8 2 – 1 9 8 3 (Japan/France/Luxembourg) 39 x 28 minute […]
    • Addams Family Values (1993)
      This delightful follow-up to The Addams Family (1991) is blessed […]
    • Crosstrap (1962)
      Predating Straw Dogs by nine years, Crosstrap sees Geoff (Gary […]
    • Bobby Fuller (The Bobby Fuller Four)
      Born on 22 October 1942, Bobby Fuller was just another […]
    • Escape of RD7, The
      1 9 6 1 (UK) 5 x 45 minute episodes Virologist Dr Anna Hastings […]
    • Gorillaz
      Rather than succumb to the usual solo-project indulgences, Blur […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    5 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    7 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.