JFK Assassinated
US President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas
November 22, 1963
Shots in Dallas
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. He was struck by two bullets and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital about 30 minutes later. Texas Governor John Connally, who was riding in the same car, was also wounded. The assassination shocked the nation and the world. Kennedy was 46 years old and had been one of the most charismatic and popular presidents in American history. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president later that same day, aboard Air Force One.
Lee Harvey Oswald and the Investigation
Police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald within hours of the shooting. Oswald had fired from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, a building overlooking the motorcade route. Before he could stand trial, Oswald was shot and killed two days later by a nightclub owner named Jack Ruby, live on national television. The Warren Commission, set up by President Johnson, investigated the assassination and concluded that Oswald acted alone. However, polls have consistently shown that a majority of Americans believe there was a conspiracy, and the case has fueled debate ever since.
A Nation Changed
Kennedy's assassination left a deep scar on American culture. Millions of people remember exactly where they were when they heard the news — a shared grief that bonded a generation. The event shook confidence in the safety of public figures and institutions. It came during a period of Cold War tension, civil rights struggle, and rapid social change, making the loss feel even more destabilizing. Kennedy's death is still one of the most studied and debated events in American history, and questions about what really happened that day continue to captivate researchers and the public alike.