John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was the 35th President of the United States. At the time of his election, he was the youngest president elected and the only Catholic president of the United States. He is an emblematic figure of youth and success.
During his term of office, he planned to send a man to the Moon, ease tensions with the USSR in the context of the Cold War, establish equality between blacks and whites, revive the economy and fight against the mob and communism. While he worked to this end, he also increased the military presence in Vietnam, tried to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba, did not oppose the construction of the Berlin Wall and authorized the FBI's wiretapping of Martin Luther King.
On November 22, 1963, he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald during an election parade. Although his record is mixed, he remains in the popular imagination as one of America's greatest presidents.
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1917: John Fitzgerald Kennedy is born on May 29, in Brookline, Massachusetts.
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1943: He receives the Navy Medal for his service in the Solomon Islands during World War II.
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1946: At age 29, he is elected to the House of Representatives. Re-elected in 1948 and 1950.
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1952: He unseats Republican candidate Henry Cabot Lodge Jr and becomes Senator. He is re-elected in 1958.
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1957: His book Profiles in Courage wins the Pulitzer Prize.
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1961: Succeeding Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th President of the United States on January 20.
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1961: With the help of the CIA, 1500 refugees return to Cuba and attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. The event, which is an abject failure, is called the Bay of Pigs Invasion. JFK publicly takes the blame.
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1963: In June, he speaks out against racial segregation. He meets Martin Luther King during the March on Washington.
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1963: At the end of August, he installs a red telephone in the Oval Office, a direct line between the White House and the Kremlin, to ease tensions and facilitate communication between the two countries.
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1963: On November 22, President Kennedy is assassinated during a parade in Dallas in preparation for the upcoming election.