President John F Kennedy, often simply referred to as JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of the United States. He was the most popular president in the country, according to the presidential approval ratings recorded by the Gallup survey. He was inaugurated as president in 1961, during the height of America’s Cold War with the Soviet Union. As a result, President Kennedy spends most of his time as president working to calm relations between the two nations.
John F Kennedy was also highly involved in America’s efforts in the space race. The Soviet Union may have a huge head start. President Kennedy wastes no time in rallying the American people and encouraging NASA to achieve great work. In his famous speech 45 Address at Rice University on the Nation’s Space Effort. John F Kennedy announces to the nation his intent to land a man on the moon by the end. Even though he will never live to see it happen, he isn’t wrong; just before the turn of the decade, on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becomes the first humans to walk on the moon.
John F Kennedy has been a great source of intrigue to the American people. This charismatic man was able to accomplish so much during his short time as president, but his tragic assassination left behind a lot of mystery. Firstly, many conspiracies have surfaced surrounding his death, and some have even suspected foul play from the CIA! Secondly, it was widely known that President Kennedy intended to run for president a second time, but we will never know what he could have accomplished had he won.
Presidents With Bad Reputations
Many presidents get a bad reputation for political events that were out of their control. Of course, some presidents have handled national and global crises far better than others. Despite being in the middle of the Cold War, which left the entire nation terrified, John F Kennedy was able to boost morale tenfold, and he handled tight political situations with grace and charisma.
Not only did he lead a fascinating life as president, however, but John F Kennedy’s life before his presidency was also quite astonishing. In today’s video, we’re going to look at fascinating facts about John F Kennedy that you probably didn’t know. Not only was he a hero as a president, but he also earned the title of hero at a young age! Make sure you stick around to find out why John F Kennedy is the only president to have won a Purple Heart!
He Had a lot of Near Death Experiences
John F Kennedy was the first Catholic to be elected president. Part of Catholicism is the last rites sacrament, which is a ritual performed for those who are near death. Poor John F Kennedy had a lot of close calls throughout his life, and he ended up receiving the last rites sacrament four times. The first time was in 1947. He was traveling through England when he fell ill, and his doctors diagnosed him with Addison’s disease. Thankfully, he was able to pull through. In 1951, he traveled again to Japan, where he fell extremely ill and had a dangerously high fever. In 1954, he had back surgery, and unfortunately fell into a coma immediately after. The final time he received last rites was on November 22nd, 1963, when he was assassinated.
He Won a Pulitzer Prize
There are many reasons why John F Kennedy was so popular, two of those reasons being that he was well-educated and very talented. In 1957, he was awarded the high honor of a Pulitzer Prize after publishing his book Profiles in Courage. However, in later years, many people have started to wonder exactly how much of the book Kennedy actually wrote. His personal ghost writer, Ted Sorenson, crafted many of the late president’s speeches, as well as some of his written work. In 2008, Ted Sorenson spoke out, saying that he had played a large part in the creation of the book.
He Was a Speed Reader
While some of his creation of the book Profiles in Courage may be improperly credited, there’s no doubt that JFK was still a man of high skill. In fact, he was way above average when it came to reading time. On average, people can read about 250 to 300 words a minute. JFK was part of a small percentage of the population who could read at a much higher rate. Reportedly, he could read 1,200 words a minute, which is four times faster than the average reader!
He Lied to Get Into the Navy
As we mentioned before, President Kennedy suffered from no shortage of illnesses and ailments. His battle with Addison’s disease made it hard for him to accomplish some of his life goals at times, but he usually didn’t let it stand in his way. While America was getting ready to enter World War II, JFK wanted to join the military. However, his health problems prevented him from passing the physical exam. He instead used his father’s wealth and influence to gain entry. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, convinced a few of his military friends to accept a false doctor’s note.
He Became the Only President to Earn a Purple Heart
Even though he had to fake his way into the military, JFK’s involvement in the military ended up being an incredibly good thing. He was the commander of a patrol boat in 1943, but it sank after being attacked in the Solomon Islands. Kennedy rallied his crew and, together, they swam to safety on a distant island. The crew was stranded for a week before they were rescued. He later received a Purple Heart because he was wounded in action.
Truly, President Kennedy’s life was packed with action. However, what you might not know is that the assassination that led to his untimely death wasn’t the first attempt. Make sure you stick around until the very end to find out just how many times someone attempted to assassinate this beloved president! And, if you’re enjoying the video so far, please take a moment to like this video and subscribe to our channel for more!
John F Kennedy Had Four Children
Everyone knows about two of John and Jackie Kennedy’s children, Caroline and John Kennedy Jr. In actuality, the couple had a total of four children during their marriage. In 1956, Jackie Kennedy sadly gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Arabella. On August 7th, 1963, tragedy struck once more when Jackie gave birth to their son, Patrick. He was born four weeks early and suffered from many complications. After two days, he died. The children were originally buried in Massachusetts, but after JFK’s assassination, both were moved to rest with him in Arlington National Cemetary.
He Was the Last President to Wear a Hat During His Inauguration
Hats were an essential part of mens’ fashion in America for many years. In 1881, President James Garfield was inaugurated while wearing a top hat, and it became a long tradition. President John F Kennedy himself wasn’t a particular fan of wearing hats, but he didn’t want to be the one to break the tradition. He went along with it, even though he didn’t quite enjoy the fashion. However, his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, broke tradition during his inauguration, and no president has worn a top hat since.
He Loved Animals
During his term as president, the White House became something akin to a zoo. He had many pets during his presidency, including two parakeets, two hamsters, five horses, a rabbit, a cat, and five dogs. One of the dogs was actually the daughter of a famous dog, Strelka, who became one of the first dogs to enter space. While that may seem like an insane amount of animals to you, Kennedy’s pet parade was nothing compared to President Teddy Roosevelt, who had a hyena, a barn owl, and a badger, among many others!
He Was the Second Wealthiest President
John F Kennedy was the wealthiest president in history until the inauguration of Donald Trump, who had a net worth three times more than JFK. However, President Kennedy was aware of his fortune, and he was very generous with his wealth. In fact, he ended up donating his entire salary as president to charity.
He Was the Target of Four Assassination Attempts
Despite his popularity, President John F Kennedy had some powerful enemies. He was the victim of at least four assassination attempts throughou his presidency. Right after he was elected, a retired postal worker followed the president’s entourage while driving a car filled with dynamite. There were also two other assassination plots that were uncovered in both Tampa, Florida and Chicago, Illinois. Of course, there could have been many other failed attempts that we simply don’t know about. Sadly, the final attempt in Dallas, Texas, was successful, and left the whole nation shocked and deeply saddened.
Were you more surprised to learn about President John F Kennedy’s heroic efforts in World War II, or that he donated his entire presidential salary to charity? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to Facts Verse for more!
