John F. Kennedy

  • Birth

    John was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Rose and Joseph Patrick Kennedy.
  • College Graduation

    JFK graduates from Harvard University with a bachelor of science degree.
  • Book Published

    His college thesis about Britain's failure to prepare itself against Nazi Germany was published as a book, called Why England Slept.
  • Joins the Navy

    At age 24 he joins the U.S. Navy.
  • Navy Award

    He is awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and Purple Heart for his actions while in command of PT-109.
  • Brother dies

    His older brother Joe is killed in the Air Force.
  • Marries

    He gets married to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in Newport, R.I.
  • Presidency nomination

    He receives the Democratic nomination for president.
  • Becomes President

    He becomes the 35th president of the United States. Kennedy beat out Richard Nixon.
  • Peace Corps

    He signs a bill creating the Peace Corps.
  • Presidential Statement

    He sends a presidential statement to be read at the Centennial Ceremony in Gettysburg National Military Park, where Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
  • Tour of Texas

    Kennedy begins his tour of Texas. Little does he know, he will not return home from this trip.
  • Shot and Killed

    He is shot at 12:30 p.m. while riding in an open-top motorcade through Dallas. He is pronounced dead at 1 p.m. at Parkland Memorial Hospital.
  • Assassin is Killed

    Jack Ruby shoots and kills the main suspect of assassinating the President. The assassin's name was Lee Harvey Oswald.
  • Buried

    JFK is buried in Arlington National Cemetery with his son Patrick and his daughter Arabella.