JFK Remembered

The public was enchanted by photographs and inside stories of the Kennedy family. The cover story in this Look magazine featured "An exclusive visit with our new first family." Photographs of young President John F. Kennedy with his attractive family fostered a sense of intimacy between the Kennedys and the American public--and, of course, sold magazines.

Less than three years after President John F. Kennedy's tragic death, Look magazine commissioned Norman Rockwell to portray Kennedy's Peace Corps legacy. Rockwell symbolically depicted Kennedy leading the vanguard of Americans of all ethnicities in service to their country and the world. Kennedy viewed the Peace Corps as an opportunity to spread goodwill and as a positive weapon against the Cold War.

Foreign policy was an outstanding aspect of John F. Kennedy's Cold War administration. Amid global political and military tensions, the president hosted many foreign leaders. This photograph, taken just six weeks before Kennedy was assassinated, shows a parade for Ethiopian emperor Hail Selassie I. The two statesmen met in October 1963 to discuss their nations' relationship and mutual concerns.

Even before he was President, John F. Kennedy's youthful image could attract attention and sell magazines. This Life magazine from March 11, 1957 features Senator Kennedy's article, "Where Democrats Should Go From Here." His authorship and the visibility provided by this popular magazine helped make Kennedy a contender for the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination for the upcoming 1960 national election.

President John F. Kennedy seemed to understand instinctively how to use the new medium of television. He held the first live televised Presidential press conference on January 25, 1961, and continued this regularly throughout his Presidency. This Souvenir Card depicts President Kennedy in a relaxed pose recognizing a reporter during a nationwide televised press conference in 1963.

Life magazine was one of the popular documenters of American life at the time of John F. Kennedy's presidency. Photographs of the young President with his glamorous wife Jacqueline and their two attractive children captivated the country. After President Kennedy's assassination, Life magazine used a poignant moment during the funeral to help its readers mourn with the President's family.

Using giveaways like this campaign button, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy launched an exhaustive campaign in 1960 against Republican opponent Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Despite charges that he lacked experience in foreign affairs and that his Catholic background would hurt him, Kennedy's knowledge and maturity eventually won him the very close 1960 election.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in this car on November 22, 1963. The midnight blue, un-armored convertible was rebuilt with a permanent roof, titanium armor plating, and more somber black paint. The limousine returned to the White House and remained in service until 1977. The modified car shows the fundamental ways in which presidential security changed after Kennedy's death.

This bumper sticker was produced for the 1960 Kennedy-Johnson presidential campaign. After John F. Kennedy defeated Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960 Democratic primary, Kennedy named Johnson as his running mate. Johnson's addition brought on board an experienced old-school politician, and also provided a better chance of victory in the key swing states.

This U.S. postage stamp was released on May 29, 1964, just six months after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Stunned and disillusioned, Americans eagerly embraced products like this postage stamp to be able to "re-connect" with their charismatic, now deceased, leader. The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing asked Mrs. Kennedy to make the final selection for the artwork.

This Saturday morning issue of the Detroit Free Press shows the way newspapers around the world announced the death of President John F. Kennedy. The editors took the unusual step of devoting the entire front page and much of the first twelve pages to the events in Dallas on November 22, 1963. This lengthy coverage was only for such major events.

President John F. Kennedy's vision to explore the "new frontier" of space ignited the public's imagination. It was an overt Cold War strategy against the Soviet Union which launched the first man in space April 12, 1961. Here, President Kennedy awards NASA's Distinguished Service Medal to first U.S. astronaut, Alan Shepard, three days after his successful space flight on May 5, 1961.

This 1962 record album poked good-natured fun at President John F. Kennedy. Vaughn Meader, a Kennedy impersonator, lampooned the President and parodied his PT-109 history, the Kennedys' well-known athleticism, and Jackie Kennedy's redecoration of the White House. The album won a Grammy Award and seven million copies were sold. Sales plummeted after Kennedy's assassination as the nation went into mourning.

After John F. Kennedy was sworn in on the steps of the Capitol (whose dome looms in the background), he and his wife Jacqueline traveled up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House in the official inaugural parade. The new president and first lady are in the lead car, the 1950 Lincoln that had served presidents Truman and Eisenhower.

This memo was written by Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy administration, just after he learned of the death of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. He describes, in very personal terms, his reaction to the news from the President's brother, Robert Kennedy, that the president had been shot.

In the routine course of business, Ford Motor Company received a steady flow of news and financial reports from the Wall Street Journal. These dispatches came over the teletype machine on November 22, 1963 describing events from the arrival of President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline in Dallas through the official report of his death several hours later.

In the routine course of business, Ford Motor Company received a steady flow of news and financial reports from the Wall Street Journal. These dispatches came over the teletype machine on November 22, 1963 describing events from the arrival of President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline in Dallas through the official report of his death several hours later.

In the routine course of business, Ford Motor Company received a steady flow of news and financial reports from the Wall Street Journal. These dispatches came over the teletype machine on November 22, 1963 describing events from the arrival of President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline in Dallas through the official report of his death several hours later.

Arguably, no presidential limousine is as widely recognized as the 1961 Lincoln Continental in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. When originally constructed, the car had no armor. After the tragedy, it was thoroughly rebuilt with titanium plating, bullet-resistant glass, and a more powerful engine to handle the added weight. This film tells the limo's remarkable story.