John F. Kennedy Timeline

May 29, 1917
John F. Kennedy–known to his family as Jack–is born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He is the second of Rose and Joseph Kennedy's nine children.

1931
Jack Kennedy begins high school at Choate, an elite boarding school in Connecticut. Jack earns only mediocre grades.

June 1940
John F. Kennedy graduates from Harvard with a degree in International Affairs. His senior thesis, a critique of Britain's preparedness for World War II will later serve as the foundation for his first book, Why England Slept.

October 1941
On the eve of America's entry into World War II, JFK enlists in the Navy. His older brother, Joe Jr., is already training to be a navy pilot.

March 6, 1943
After an eight-week training course in Rhode Island, Kennedy is assigned to take command of a patrol boat stationed in the Solomon Islands.

August 2, 1943
Kennedy's patrol boat, PT 109, is rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Two of his crewmen are killed instantly; the remaining crew abandons ship and Jack leads them to shore on a nearby island.

August 12, 1944
Joseph Kennedy, Jr., Jack's older brother, dies tragically while flying a secret mission in Europe. 

November 1946
With the help of his father's campaign financing, Jack is elected to the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts' 11th District.

May 13, 1948
Kennedy's sister, Kathleen, is killed in a plane crash. Jack begins to pursue politics with even greater fervor and dedication.

November 1952
Largely due to his younger brother Bobby's effective strategic planning in the campaign, John F. Kennedy is elected to the United States Senate. 

September 12, 1953
John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier.

August 1956
At the Democratic National Convention, Jack unsuccessfully vies for the vice presidential spot on Adlai Stevenson's ticket. 

November 27, 1957
Jack and Jackie's first child, Caroline Kennedy, is born in New York City.

September 26, 1960
John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon participate in the first-ever televised presidential debate. The debate, which showcases Jack's youth and charm, marks a turning point in the campaign.

November 8, 1960
John F. Kennedy is elected the 35th President of the United States, defeating his Republican opponent, Richard Nixon, by a slim margin of only 118,000 votes nationwide.

November 25, 1960
Jack and Jackie welcome their second child; a son. He is named John F. Kennedy, Jr., after his father.

January 20, 1960
JFK is sworn into the Presidency. His inaugural address is a landmark speech in which he urges Americans to seek out opportunities to serve their country.

March 1, 1961
John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps by executive order.

April 17, 1961
Just months into JFK's presidency, a group of CIA-trained Cuban exiles unsuccessfully attempts to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. The Kennedy-approved fiasco becomes a major embarrassment for the new president.

September 12, 1962
Kennedy announces his goal of putting a man on the moon.

October 16, 1962
JFK  initiates a blockade of Cuba after he is shown photos of Soviet nuclear missile installations. The Cuban Missile Crisis will bring the world closer to nuclear war than ever before or after.

October 28, 1962
The Cuban Missile Crisis ends when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev finally agrees to remove the missiles from Cuba.

June 11, 1963
In a televised address to the nation, Kennedy proposes the enactment of civil rights legislation, marking his first decisive action on civil rights.

August 5, 1963
U.S. and Soviet officials sign the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, agreeing not to test nuclear bombs in air, space, or water.

August 9, 1963
Jack and Jackie's third child, Patrick, dies from a lung ailment only two days after his birth.

November 22, 1963
Lee Harvey Oswald shoots and kills John F. Kennedy in Dallas, where the president is campaigning for re-election.