TODAY IN HISTORY | AT THIS TIME

On November 22, 1963, the world was shaken by the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, a moment that forever altered the course of American history

It was a bright Friday morning in Dallas, Texas, when President Kennedy, accompanied by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and his wife Nellie, rode through Dealey Plaza in an open-top limousine.

The motorcade was part of a campaign visit aimed at mending political rifts within the Democratic Party in Texas. Crowds lined the streets, waving and cheering as the youthful president passed by, his charisma and optimism radiating through the city.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., as the limousine turned onto Elm Street, three shots rang out. The first missed. The second struck both Kennedy and Governor Connally. The third was fatal. Kennedy slumped forward, mortally wounded by a bullet that had entered the back of his head. Jacqueline Kennedy, in a moment of horror and disbelief, reached out toward the back of the car, seemingly trying to retrieve a piece of her husband’s shattered skull. The motorcade sped to Parkland Memorial Hospital, but it was too late. At 1:00 p.m., John Fitzgerald Kennedy was pronounced dead.

The news reverberated across the globe. Walter Cronkite’s somber announcement on CBS News etched itself into the collective memory of a grieving nation. Lyndon B. Johnson, who had been riding in a separate car, was swiftly sworn in as the 36th President of the United States aboard Air Force One, with Jacqueline Kennedy standing beside him, still wearing her blood-stained pink Chanel suit—a haunting symbol of the tragedy.

The alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was apprehended later that day. He was a former Marine with Marxist leanings who had defected to the Soviet Union before returning to the U.S. His motives remain a subject of intense speculation.

Just two days later, Oswald himself was shot and killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby while in police custody, an act broadcast live on television. This shocking turn of events fueled widespread conspiracy theories that persist to this day.

Kennedy’s assassination marked a turning point in American history. It shattered the postwar innocence and optimism of the early 1960s, ushering in an era of skepticism, political unrest, and cultural upheaval. His death also immortalized his presidency, casting a long shadow over subsequent administrations. 

Kennedy’s legacy, his stirring rhetoric, his push for civil rights, his vision for space exploration, was enshrined in the hearts of millions, amplified by the tragic brevity of his time in office.

November 22, 1963, remains one of the most scrutinized and mourned days in modern history. It was not just the loss of a president; it was the loss of a symbol of hope, youth, and possibility.

The echoes of that day still resonate, reminding us of the fragility of leadership and the enduring impact of a single moment in time.