John F. Kennedy timeline
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John F. Kennedy is Born
Kennedy was born at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts on Tuesday, May 29, 1917, at 3:00 p.m., the second son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.,... Read more
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A Young John F. Kennedy Contracts Scarlet Fever
On February 20, 1920 when Jack was not yet three years old, he became sick with scarlet fever, a highly contagious and then potentially... Read more
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At age 13, John F. Kennedy is sent away to Canterbury School for 8th grade
For 8th grade in September 1930, the 13-year old Kennedy was sent fifty miles away to Canterbury School, a lay Roman Catholic boarding school for... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Graduates from The Choate School
At 13, John Kennedy went to the Canterbury School, a private school in New Milford, Connecticut, but he fell ill and never returned. He later... Read more
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President Roosevelt Appoints Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Ambassador to Britain
Late in 1937, Mr. Kennedy was appointed United States Ambassador to England and moved there with his whole family, with the exception of Joe and... Read more
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John and Joe Kennedy Travel to England to Work for Their Father During His Tenure as Ambassador
In late June 1938, Kennedy sailed with his father and his brother Joe on the SS Normandie to spend July working with his father, recently appointed... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Graduates from Harvard University
In September 1936 he enrolled as a freshman at Harvard College, where he produced that year's annual Freshman Smoker, called by a reviewer "an... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Publishes His Senior Thesis, "Appeasement in Munich", as a Book Entitled 'Why England Slept'
In 1940, Kennedy completed his thesis, "Appeasement in Munich," about British participation in the Munich Agreement. He initially intended his... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Appointed an Ensign in the US Navy
Despite having a bad back, Kennedy was able to join the U.S. Navy through the help of Captain Alan Kirk, the Director, Office of Naval Intelligence... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Writes To Clare Boothe Luce
In 1942, John F. Kennedy entered the United States Navy to join American forces fighting in World War II. Prior to his departure, playwright Clare... Read more
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John F. Kennedy's Boat, the PT-109, is Sunk by the Amagiri
Conflicting statements have been made as to whether the destroyer captain had spotted and steered towards the boat; author Donovan, who interviewed... Read more
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Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. is Killed While Serving in World War 2
Operation Aphrodite was a series of bombing runs by explosive-laden aircraft piloted by a skeleton crew who would parachute from the aircraft... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Elected to Massachusetts' Eleventh Congressional District
After World War II, Kennedy had considered the option of becoming a journalist before deciding to run for political office. Prior to the war, he... Read more
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John F. Kennedy is Elected to the U.S. Senate
When he returned home, Jack was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage. With the war finally coming to an end, it... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Marries Jacqueline Bouvier
Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on September 12, 1953. Charles L. Bartlett, a journalist, introduced the pair at a dinner party. Kennedy... Read more
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'Profiles in Courage' is Published
Profiles in Courage is a 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning book attributed to John F. Kennedy, describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United... Read more
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President Eisenhower Signs the Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957, primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress in the United States since... Read more
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Soviet Union Launches Sputnik 1 Satellite
Sputnik 1 was the world's first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite. It was launched into a low altitude elliptical orbit by the Soviet Union on 4... Read more
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Soviet Union Launches Sputnik 2
The Soviet Union went on to launch a series of additional Sputnik satellites. Sputnik 2, for example, carried a dog into space, named Laika.... Read more
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Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is Born
A year after her parents had a stillborn daughter, Caroline Kennedy was born in New York City, and is named after her maternal aunt Caroline Lee... Read more
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Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy Appear in First Televised Presidential Debate
The 1960s were a significant changing of the guard in U.S. leadership and also in how Americans chose their leader. During the 1960 debates... Read more
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Final Debate Airs Between Vice President Richard M. Nixon And Senator John F. Kennedy
On October 21, 1960, American viewers were riveted to their television sets for the broadcast of the fourth and final debate between Vice President... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Elected 35th U.S. President
On Tuesday, November 8, Kennedy defeated Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections of the twentieth century. In the national popular vote... Read more
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John F. Kennedy, Jr. is Born
Born at Georgetown University Hospital sixteen days after his father was elected to the presidency, Kennedy was in the public spotlight from his... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Appoints Edward R. Murrow Head of The United States Information Agency
Murrow's appointment as head of the United States Information Agency was seen as a vote of confidence in the agency, which provided the official... Read more