Assassination of John F. Kennedy Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids John F. Kennedy assassination
President Kennedy with his wife, Jacqueline, and Texas Governor John Connally in the presidential limousine, minutes before his assassination.
Location	Dallas, Texas
Date	November 22, 1963 12:30 p.m. (Central Time)
Target	John F. Kennedy
Attack type	Sniper rifle
Deaths	1 killed (President Kennedy)
Non-fatal injuries	2 wounded (Governor Connally and James Tague)
Perpetrators	Lee Harvey Oswald

John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. He was sadly killed in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. This happened while he was riding in a special car parade, called a motorcade. His wife, Jacqueline, and the Governor of Texas, John Connally, were with him.

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
- What Happened?
- The Suspect
Investigations into the Assassination
Conspiracy Theories
Images for kids
See also

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

What Happened?

On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was riding in his car in Dealey Plaza. Suddenly, shots were fired. President Kennedy was hit. This happened at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.

The motorcade quickly drove to Parkland Memorial Hospital, which was about 4 miles away. Sadly, President Kennedy was pronounced dead at 1:00 p.m.

The Suspect

A man named Lee Harvey Oswald was the main suspect. He was arrested on the same day. He was also suspected of killing a policeman named J. D. Tippit. Oswald said he did not shoot anyone.

Two days later, on November 24, Oswald was being moved by the police. A man named Jack Ruby shot Oswald. Oswald also died at Parkland Hospital.

Investigations into the Assassination

The Warren Commission

The first big investigation was done by the Warren Commission. This group looked into what happened from 1963 to 1964. They spent 10 months studying the case.

The commission decided that Oswald acted alone. They said he fired three shots from a warehouse window. They also said that Jack Ruby, who killed Oswald, also acted alone. At the time, most people believed this report.

Other Theories Emerge

Over time, many people started to wonder if there was more to the story. Surveys from 1966 to 2004 showed that up to 80% of Americans thought there might have been a secret plot. They believed there might have been a cover-up.

The House Select Committee on Assassinations

Another investigation happened in 1979. This was done by the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). They found that President Kennedy was probably killed as part of a conspiracy. A conspiracy is a secret plot by a group of people.

The HSCA said that the first investigation by the FBI and the Warren Commission had big mistakes. They agreed that Oswald fired all the shots. But they believed there were at least four shots fired. They also thought it was very likely that two gunmen shot at the President.

The committee did not name any specific people or groups involved in the conspiracy. They said that groups like the CIA, the Soviet Union, or organized crime were not involved.

Conspiracy Theories

The assassination of President Kennedy is still talked about a lot today. Many conspiracy theories exist. Some people believe Oswald was not the shooter at all. Others think he worked with other people to kill the president.

Many theories suggest that different groups were involved. These include criminal groups, the government of Cuba, the KGB, or the CIA. Some famous people like Lyndon B. Johnson or George H. W. Bush have even been mentioned in some theories. Only one person, Clay Shaw, was ever put on trial for the assassination. He was found not guilty.

Some people also argue about the gunshots themselves. They say the shots were fired too quickly for just one person to have done it. Many witnesses also said the second and third shots were very close together.

Another idea is about where the bullets hit Kennedy. Some believe the bullets could not have hit him in the way they did if they came from the warehouse. Workers at the hospital said a large part of the back of the President's head seemed to be blown out. This made some people think he might have been shot from the front.

Images for kids

The Bell & Howell Zoomatic movie camera used by Abraham Zapruder to shoot footage of the motorcade, which later came to be known as the Zapruder film. The camera is preserved within the collection of the U.S. National Archives.
The Warren Commission presents its report to President Johnson. From left to right: John McCloy, J. Lee Rankin (General Counsel), Senator Richard Russell, Congressman Gerald Ford, Chief Justice Earl Warren, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Allen Dulles, Senator John Sherman Cooper, and Congressman Hale Boggs.
The wooden fence on the grassy knoll, where many conspiracy theorists believe another gunman stood
Plaque on the Texas School Book Depository building