Son of a politically connected millionaire, John F. Kennedy enlisted in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives and in 1953, a seat in the U.S. Senate. In 1960, Kennedy defeated two-term Vice President Richard Nixon to become the nation’s first Roman Catholic president.

As president, Kennedy increased the number of military advisers in Southeast Asia and faced down the communist regime in Cuba. He established the Peace Corps and began work on a legislative program to address civil rights. In October 1962, in response to the Soviets’ establishment of offensive missiles in Cuba, Kennedy imposed a blockade. The world trembled on the brink of nuclear war until the Soviets backed down and removed the missiles.

On November 22, 1963, Kennedy traveled to Texas on a campaign trip. As his motorcade passed the Texas School Book Depository in downtown Dallas, shots rang out. Kennedy, with the first lady sitting beside him, was mortally wounded.

An investigative panel concluded in 1964 that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, though some people remain skeptical. Mrs. Kennedy became the first president’s widow to receive a staff and Secret Service protection. She died in 1994 and was buried alongside the fallen president.