In the early morning hours of August 13, 1961, the people of Berlin were awakened by the rumbling of heavy machinery barreling down their street toward the line that divided the eastern and western parts of the city. Groggy citizens looked on as work details began digging holes and jack hammering sidewalks, clearing the way for the barbed wire that would eventually be strung across the dividing line. Armed troops manned the crossing points between the two sides and, by morning, a ring of Soviet troops surrounded the city. In one night, the freedom to pass between the two sections of Berlin had been abruptly halted.
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Growing Up Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929, in Southampton, New York. Her father, John, was a wealthy stockbroker on Wall Street whose family had come from France in the early 1800s
Below is a selected list of quotations by John F. Kennedy, arranged alphabetically by topic. ( Note: Parenthetical numbers in the titles of presidential speeches and news conferences refer to item
Growing Up in the Kennedy Family Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who was a very disciplined and organized woman, made the following entry on a notecard, when her second child was born: John Fitzgerald
The Kennedys made the arts part of their life in the White House. JFK enjoyed literature and poetry, especially the work of the Romantic era English poet Lord Byron and the American Robert Frost. Jacqueline Kennedy loved poetry as well and was also deeply committed to both music and the visual arts. There is little evidence that JFK was particularly sophisticated about the arts. He read widely, but never considered himself an intellectual or an original thinker. His musical tastes ran to Broadway show tunes and Irish ballads rather than Mozart or Beethoven. Once, when asked about the president’s taste in music, the first lady replied that his favorite piece was “Hail to the Chief.”
In October 1962, an American U2 spy plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba. Because he did not want Cuba and the Soviet Union to know that he had discovered the missiles, Kennedy met in secret with his advisors for several days to discuss the problem. After many long and difficult meetings, Kennedy decided to place a naval blockade, or a ring of ships, around Cuba to prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies, and demanded the removal of the missiles already there and the destruction of the sites.
In December 2004, despite an assassination attempt and repeated efforts by Russian- backed political opponents to rig his defeat through election fraud, Viktor Yushchenko became the democratically
Dannel Malloy, Governor of Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy began his second term as governor of Connecticut in January of 2015. Later that fall, extremists carried out a series of coordinated
Karen Bass, California State Assembly Member, and former Democratic Speaker of the Assembly; David Cogdill, California State Senator and former Senate Republican Leader; Darrell Steinberg, California
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum preserves and provides access to historical materials related to President Kennedy and his times -- and engages with citizens of all ages and
From his inspirational 2008 campaign until his final weeks in office, Barack H. Obama consistently reflected in so many ways, big and small, the definition of courage that John F. Kennedy cited in the
In 2011, Bridges, then the mayor of Uvalda, Georgia, joined a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU to stop the implementation of H.B. 87, a law aimed at driving illegal immigrants out of Georgia. As
Gabrielle Giffords was elected to Arizona's 8th Congressional District seat in 2006, after more than five years of service in the Arizona House of Representatives and State Senate. In Congress, she
On the heels of his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, JFK traveled northward to Ireland, where his great-grandparents emigrated from in the 19th century. The first Irish Catholic president, JFK’s visit was both meaningful for him personally and a rousing and significant event for the people of Ireland. We’ll hear about the impact of his trip and speak with Catherine Healy, Historian-in-Residence at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, about JFK’s travels in the country.
Robert S. Ford began serving a recess appointment as the U.S. Ambassador to Syria in January 2011; his appointment was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in October 2011. He is the first American ambassador
The 2012 Profile in Courage Award is presented to Marsha Ternus, David Baker and Michael Streit for their demonstrated political courage and judicial independence in upholding, in the face of popular
In 1998, Oklahoma State Senator Paul Muegge brought regulation to an industry that had long dictated its own terms to Oklahoma legislators. Muegge took on the powerful hog industry and angered the
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that Yvonne Garcia, Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO and Global Head of Internal Communications at State Street Corporation, and Ron O’Hanley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at State Street Corporation, will co-chair the Foundation’s 34th Annual May Dinner on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The May Dinner is the Foundation’s annual black-tie gala that celebrates President Kennedy’s enduring legacy.
Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University professor of history and international relations and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and Tom Nichols, US Naval War College professor of National Security Affairs
Rachel Flor: Good evening, I'm Rachel Flor, Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. On behalf of all my Library and Foundation colleagues, I'm delighted to welcome all of you who
Alan Price: Good afternoon, I'm Alan Price, Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. On behalf of all my Library and Foundation colleagues, I'm delighted to welcome all of you
Rachel Flor: Good afternoon, I'm Rachel Flor, Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. On behalf of all my Library and Foundation colleagues, I'm delighted to welcome all who are