President John F. Kennedy is a trending Twitter topic on the anniversary of his assassination which occurred 56 years ago today, November 22, 1963.
The 35th president of the United States was in the third year of his first term of office when he was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald as he rode in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas, Texas alongside his wife Jacqueline Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally.
The presidential motorcade was its way to the Trade Mart where the president was to speak at a sold-out luncheon reported CNN of the events of that fateful day.
Three shots were fired into the motorcade, two hitting Kennedy and the other striking Connally. The car would rush to Parkland Hospital, where Kennedy would later be pronounced dead. Connally was seriously wounded.
The events of Kennedy’s assassination played out in real-time on television, where coverage of the event kept Americans glued to their sets. Viewers watched Mrs. Kennedy, still wearing her blood-stained suit, return to Washington with the president’s body.
Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson would later be sworn in as president of the United States on the runway of Love Field aboard Air Force One.
#OnThisDay in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in his presidential motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy worked diligently to create a Civil Rights Bill, which was ultimately passed in 1964 after his death. Where were you on this somber day? pic.twitter.com/KMxWJMnjI0
— NatCivilRightsMuseum (@NCRMuseum) November 22, 2019
Viewers would also witness the murder of Kennedy’s accused assassin two days later on November 24.
Oswald was killed as he was being led to jail from Dallas police headquarters by Jack Ruby, a Dallas club owner, who would later admit that Kennedy’s murder prompted him to shoot Oswald in retaliation.
Kennedy lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda on November 24 and 25 and was later buried in Arlington Cemetary. Kennedy was survived by his wife Jacqueline and children, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline. The family moved out of the White House shortly after his death.
Caroline Kennedy shared her thoughts about her late father in 2017 in a video to honor him on what would have been his 100th birthday.
Caroline remarked in the video that she has thought about her father “every day of my life” and continues to be thankful for all those people “who kept him in their hearts.”
She spoke in the clip of those who continue to remember the late president and try to put his inspirational words into action.
“He inspired others to work and fight and believe in a better world. To give something back to this country that has given so much to so many. President Kennedy inspired a generation that transformed America,” said the daughter of the late president.
In the above post, shard by the JFK Library and Museum, fans shared their memories of the beloved politician.
“I believe our world would have been so much better had JFK lived to complete his term and then a second term. I say this because he was that rare visionary who knew how to translate his vision into action. May his legacy live on,” said one Instagram user in the comments section of the photo.
Kennedy remains one of the most popular presidents in U.S. history , and his legacy and spirit have endured for years since his death.