50 Years Later: Remember J.F.K.'s Assassination Through Photos

President Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline Kennedy & Governor of
Texas John Connally minutes before the President was shot.

Today is 50 years after the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. President Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States, serving from January 20, 1961 until he was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Out of the four successful presidential assassinations, J.F.K's assassination – along with that of Abraham Lincoln – is one of the better known presidential assassinations. The other two presidents were James A. Garfield and William McKinley; there were also unsuccessful assassination attempts on former Presidents Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.


To commemorate 50 years since President Kennedy's passing, let us travel back in time to revisit the story through the extensive amount of photographs that were captured on and after the day of the assassination.

A map showing Dealy Plaza with the route taken by the Presidential limousine for President Kennedy's visit to Dallas, Texas. The route was planned to give the President maximum exposure to the crowd.

President Kennedy, first lady Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie Connally depart in the presidential motorcade for downtown Dallas. The President asked about the weather earlier and decided to keep the top down on the limousine.

The Presidential motorcade was met with a warm reception Downtown. Texas first lady Nellie Connally said, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you," before the first shot rang out.

Photo taken right after the fatal shot to the President. The first lady is cradling the President, who had slumped forward after the first bullets hit him. "Oh my God... They've shot my husband," she said.

Bill and Gayle Newman, the closest civilian eyewitnesses to the assassination, dropped to the ground to shield their children from the gunshots. About 30 seconds later, photographers ran after the motorcade.

Howard Brennan, a steamfitter seen in the photo sitting across the street from the Texas School Book Depository, notified the police that he heard shots come from above and looked up to see a man with a rifle make another shot from a corner window on the sixth floor (Circle A).

As the limousine races towards Parkland Hospital, Secret Service agent Clint Hill, who had been assigned to protect the first lady, climbed onto the limousine. When the limousine arrives at the hospital, the first lady is heard saying, "They murdered my husband; they murdered my husband."

Soon, there is a crowd outside the hospital. 

Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson's driver (left) and others listen to news accounts of the President's assassination on the car radio outside the Parkland Hospital's emergency entrance.

Dr. Tom Shires describes the wounds of President Kennedy to the press. Four doctors had worked on the President in the emergency room. 

Walter Cronkite, anchor of CBS Evening News and "the most trusted man in America," makes an emotional confirmation of Kennedy's death on TV. "From Dallas, Texas, the flash – apparently official – President Kennedy died," Cronkite said.

Lee Harvey Oswald (centre back) is arrested for the assassination. 

Before a trial can take place, while being escorted to a car to Dallas County Jail two days after his arrest, Oswald is shot and killed by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby. The shooting happened on live television. Ruby is arrested right after and said he wanted to spare Mrs. Kennedy from having to go through a trial.

President Kennedy's casket is taken onboard Air Force One.

Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as the President of the United States on Air Force One with Mrs. Kennedy at his side. Mrs. Kennedy was still wearing her pink suit that had been stained with her husband's blood. She said, "I want them to see what they've done to Jack."

President Kennedy's younger brother and Attorney General Robert Kennedy holds Jackie Kennedy's hand as President Kennedy's coffin is placed in an ambulance after arriving at an Air Force One Base near Washington.

Three year-old John F. Kennedy Jr. salutes his father's casket in Washington three days after the assassination. President Kennedy's daughter Caroline Kennedy, widow Jacqueline Kennedy and brothers Senator Edward Kennedy (left) and General Attorney Robert Kennedy (right) are also present. While campaigning to run for President in 1968, Robert Kennedy would be assassinated on June 6, 1968 in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

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After a 10-month investigation, the Warren Commission concluded that President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, who was acting alone, and that Jack Ruby also acted alone when he killed Oswald before the trial. However, the public opinion has shifted since then, with many believing that President Kennedy's assassination was part of a plot or cover-up and as a result of a conspiracy. There are many theories out there, and if you are interested, you can read about them here and check out the movie JFK, which also examines some of the possible conspiracy theories (It's a fantastic movie).

All photos via Wikipedia, The Dallas News & the SacBee.

To this day, President Kennedy remains one of America's favourite presidents, along with Presidents Lincoln, Washington and Roosevelt. President Kennedy was against segregation and supported the rights of African Americans. A century (100 years) after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Kennedy became the first president to call on Americans to see racism as morally wrong. With the help of his successor Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy's work would later lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation and made racism and discrimination illegal.

Not only that, many of Kennedy's speeches have become very famous, especially his inaugural address, which you can watch here. There are numerous memorials dedicated to him, including the airport in New York, which was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963.

If you are interested, the New York Times has a fantastic interactive about J.F.K's assassination. Check it out here.