Assassination of John F. Kennedy

Kennedy in his motorcade in Dallas, Texas, moments before he was assassinated

Historical Context

For many people the assassination of John F. Kennedy is a 'flashbulb memory' - a memory they can instantly recall where they were when the news broke of his death.

Kennedy rode in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, when Lee Harvey Oswald sniped him from the School Book Depository, above the procession route.

Many conspiracy theories have ensued - that Oswald either did or didn't act alone, that government agencies and foreign nations were involved, or that a second sniper existed on the infamous 'grassy knoll.'

Whatever the case, Kennedy was a young, charismatic politician who had high approval ratings, and his death was mourned as a tragedy by many people in America and beyond.