1. John F. Kennedy 1961-1963

2. The Election of 1960 The election of 1960 was the closest since 1884; Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon by fewer than 119,000 votes.

3. Did You Know? He was a decorated naval officer in World War II. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Profiles in Courage." He served exactly 1,000 days in office. He was the first president born in the 20th century and the youngest president ever elected. He is the only Roman Catholic president He could read 1600 words a minute.

4. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address Kennedy was the youngest person ever to be elected president. His youth helped provide the theme to his inaugural address: “Let the word go forth… That the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans… The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it…And so, my fellow Americans-ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.”

5. The Camelot Years With JFK’s youthful glamour and his talented advisors, the Kennedy White House reminded many of a modern- day Camelot, the mythical court of King Arthur.

6. Crisis Over Cuba The first test of Kennedy’s foreign policy came in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, openly declared himself a communist and welcomed aid from the Soviet Union.

7. The Bay of Pigs On the nights of April 17,1961, some 1500 Cuban exiles supported by the U.S. military landed on the island’s southern coast at Baja de Cochinos, the Bay of Pigs. The CIA and the exiles hoped it would trigger a mass uprising that would overthrow Castro. It didn’t! Cuban forces, backed by Soviet tanks and jet aircraft, easily repelled the exile invasion. Some of the exiles were killed, others imprisoned.

8. Cuban Missile Crisis In October, 1962, photographs taken by American planes revealed Soviet missile bases in Cuba-and some contained missiles ready to launch. They could reach U.S. cities in minutes.

9. On October 22, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent further deliveries of Soviet weapons. He also demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles. Khrushchev promised to challenge the blockade, calling it “outright banditry.”

10. For a few days, nuclear war and massive destruction was a distinct possibility for every American. In schools, children practiced air raid drills, a common occurrence during the Cold War. People who had built bomb shelters began stocking them with food and other provisions. Even the president called his family to the White House where they could be protected in the presidential nuclear shelter.

12. Suddenly, on October 24, many of the Soviet ships stopped short of the blockade line, turned, and sailed home. “We’re eyeball to eyeball,” said Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “and I think the other fellow just blinked.” On October 28 Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile bases in response to Kennedy’s promise not to invade Cuba.

13. Kennedy and Berlin One of the high points of Kennedy’s foreign travels was a trip he made to Berlin in 1963 to dramatize America’s commitment to West Berlin and West Germany. In a speech at the Berlin Wall, Kennedy electrified an audience of about 150,000 Germans by stating, “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner), thus declaring the solidarity of all free people with the people of West Berlin.

14. The New Frontier President Kennedy’s legislative program to provide medical care for the elderly…. To rebuild blighted urban areas….

15. To aid education…. To bolster the national defense….

16. To increase international aid…. To expand the space program.

17. And to promote civil rights. To provide volunteer assistance to developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

18. Tragedy in Dallas In the fall of 1963, public opinion polls showed that Kennedy was losing popularity because of his advocacy of civil rights. On November 22, 1963, President and Mrs. Kennedy went to Texas to mend political fences with members of the state’s Democratic Party.

19. Crowds lined the streets of Dallas to greet the President. In front of them sat Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie.

20. As the car approached a state building known as the Texas State Book Depository, rifle shots rang out.

21. Kennedy was shot in the head. His car raced to a nearby hospital, where doctors frantically tried to revive him, but it was too late. President Kennedy was dead.

22. In 1963, the Warren Commission investigated and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had shot the president while acting on his own.

23. On Sunday, Nov. 24, as millions watched live television coverage of Oswald being transferred between jails, a nightclub owner named Jack Ruby broke through the crowd and shot and killed Oswald.