Accessibility links
The Kennedy Assassination, 50 Years Later Explore NPR's coverage of the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination.
Special Series

The Kennedy Assassination, 50 Years Later

Explore NPR's coverage of the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination.
Witnessing History In A Dallas Emergency Room

Glenda Rike's husband was in the room when President Kennedy received his last rites. She recounted his experience to her son, Larry, on a visit to StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption

toggle caption
StoryCorps

Opinion

Witnessing History In A Dallas Emergency Room

When he went to work on Nov. 22, 1963, ambulance driver Aubrey Rike had no idea that he would soon be offering a moment of support to Jacqueline Kennedy. "It was unbelievable that something like that happened, and he was part of it," says Rike's widow, Glenda.

Witnessing History In A Dallas Emergency Room

Listen · 3:25
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/246602045/246679081" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Moved By Kennedy's Death, The Boston Symphony Played On

The Boston Symphony Orchestra was mid-performance when the news of President Kennedy's assassination broke. AP hide caption

toggle caption
AP

Moved By Kennedy's Death, The Boston Symphony Played On

The orchestra was mid-performance when news of the president's assassination reached the symphony hall in 1963. The musicians had to decide: suspend the concert or continue? Their decision transformed a moment of shock into a moment of shared consolation.

Moved By Kennedy's Death, The Boston Symphony Played On

Listen · 2:47
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/246328972/246594253" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Marking Kennedy Assassination, Dallas Still On 'Eggshells'

Dallas is preparing for Friday's 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and hoping to show how much the city has changed. Tom Pennington/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Marking Kennedy Assassination, Dallas Still On 'Eggshells'

Dallas became known as the "City of Hate" after President John F. Kennedy was killed there. But the city has changed, and it hopes that the 50th anniversary of the assassination on Friday will be a chance to show the extent of that transformation.

Marking Kennedy Assassination, Dallas Still On 'Eggshells'

Listen · 5:28
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/246580954/246590180" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Hear What Happened At Boston's Symphony Hall After JFK's Assassination

The log of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's performance on the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra hide caption

toggle caption
courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Deceptive Cadence

Hear What Happened At Boston's Symphony Hall After JFK's Assassination

Listen to an unforgettable response to the tragedy. Hear what happened next at Boston's Symphony Hall, just after conductor Erich Leinsdorf announced news of the assassination, and learn more about the backstage story.

Code Switch

Mexican-American Vets Ignited Kennedy's Latino Support

Most politicians recognize the importance of the Latino vote, but John F. Kennedy might have been the first presidential candidate to actively court it. Viva Kennedy clubs started by former Mexican-American veterans were an important factor in Kennedy's 1960 victory.

Mexican-American Vets Ignited Kennedy's Latino Support

Listen · 4:50
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/246412894/246492035" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
50 Years After Assassination, Kennedy Books Offer New Analysis

President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, are greeted by an enthusiastic crowd upon their arrival at Dallas Love Field on Nov. 22, 1963. AP hide caption

toggle caption
AP

50 Years After Assassination, Kennedy Books Offer New Analysis

Publishers have flooded the market with books — both new and reprinted — about JFK this fall. Some hazard conspiracy theories or point out the failings of the Warren Commission. Others avoid the subject of the assassination, focusing on JFK's character and legacy. And one includes all 486 frames of the famous Zapruder film, published in their entirety for the first time.

50 Years After Assassination, Kennedy Books Offer New Analysis

Listen · 5:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/245969799/246020879" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Listening In: Cronkite, Lady Bird On The Death Of A President

CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite announces the death of President John F. Kennedy. CBS/Landov hide caption

toggle caption
CBS/Landov

Listening In: Cronkite, Lady Bird On The Death Of A President

"Those whose jobs often involve great emotional stress develop an amazing stoic power to defer emotion — a power that momentarily eluded me," Walter Cronkite said about his announcement of President Kennedy's assassination. Listen to his recollections and three other compelling pieces from the NPR archives.

How Texas Changed, And Changed The Nation, Since JFK

The presidential motorcade travels down Main Street in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was shot. Cecil Stoughton/UPI /Landov hide caption

toggle caption
Cecil Stoughton/UPI /Landov

It's All Politics

How Texas Changed, And Changed The Nation, Since JFK

In the 50 years since the Kennedy assassination, Texas has become bigger, richer and more influential politically. Its economic model has not made everyone winners, but it's been attractive enough to draw millions of newcomers.

How JFK Fathered The Modern Presidential Campaign

John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, campaign in New York in 1960. AP hide caption

toggle caption
AP

How JFK Fathered The Modern Presidential Campaign

Candidate John F. Kennedy was young, energetic and handsome, and he knew how to harness the power of mass media. Fifty years after the president's death, candidates are still following his lead.

How JFK Fathered The Modern Presidential Campaign

Listen · 8:42
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/245550528/245584033" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
JFK's Lasting Economic Legacy: Lower Tax Rates

President Kennedy addresses the nation about the economy in 1962. He presided over an economic turnaround. AP/John F. Kennedy Library and Museum hide caption

toggle caption
AP/John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

JFK's Lasting Economic Legacy: Lower Tax Rates

President Kennedy presided over a nearly miraculous economic turnaround. At the time of his death in November 1963, corporate profits were hitting record highs and stock prices were soaring. Kennedy also did something that conservatives have been praising ever since: He pushed for much lower tax rates.

Who Were You When JFK Was Shot?

A composite image of Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Randall Kennedy and James Billington. Courtesy of Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Randall Kennedy and James Billington hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Randall Kennedy and James Billington

Opinion

The Protojournalist

Who Were You When JFK Was Shot?

Everybody of a certain age remembers where they were during a Moment of National Significance. But do you remember who you were? And how the event changed your life?

Inconsistencies Haunt Official Record Of Kennedy's Death

Jacqueline Kennedy (center), with Edward and Robert Kennedy on either side, watches the coffin of President John F. Kennedy pass on Nov. 25, 1963. Keystone/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Keystone/Getty Images

Inconsistencies Haunt Official Record Of Kennedy's Death

Some three decades after the Warren Commission's report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a board was established that declassified thousands of documents. Congress hoped it would clear up lingering conspiracy theories, but it didn't.

Inconsistencies Haunt Official Record Of Kennedy's Death

Listen · 7:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/243981006/244308672" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
How Kennedy's Assassination Changed The Secret Service

The limousine carrying President John F. Kennedy races toward the hospital after he was shot in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, with Secret Service agent Clint Hill riding on the back. Justin Newman/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Newman/AP

How Kennedy's Assassination Changed The Secret Service

The Secret Service made some immediate changes after the president's death 50 years ago this month: Open limousines were out. And it began taking a more aggressive approach to its advance work. Over the years, the service has established counter-sniper units, assault teams and surveillance units.

How Kennedy's Assassination Changed The Secret Service

Listen · 4:46
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/243769588/243801780" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Botched Investigation Fuels Kennedy Conspiracy Theories

Botched Investigation Fuels Kennedy Conspiracy Theories

Fresh Air

It's been 50 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and polls show that a majority of Americans still believe Kennedy was the victim of a conspiracy, not a lone assassin. Philip Shenon, author of A Cruel and Shocking Act, explores what keeps these conspiracy theories alive.

Botched Investigation Fuels Kennedy Conspiracy Theories

Listen · 43:44
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/240822565/241373436" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
In 'Dallas 1963,' A City Of Rage, Seized By 'Civic Hysteria'

Dallas 1963, by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis hide caption

toggle caption

In 'Dallas 1963,' A City Of Rage, Seized By 'Civic Hysteria'

Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis have written a portrait of the city that saw John F. Kennedy's death firsthand. In those years, they say, Dallas was a roiling stew of superpatriotism and Communist paranoia — and, above all, distrust of the president.

In 'Dallas 1963,' A City Of Rage, Seized By 'Civic Hysteria'

Listen · 9:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/228181831/230976579" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
New Angles, But Little New Light, On A Familiar Tragedy

Among the sideline characters who become the focus of Parkland — another celluloid look at the Kennedy assassination — is Forrest Sorrels (Billy Bob Thornton), the agent in charge of the Secret Service's Dallas district at the time. He was in the car when the president was shot. Claire Folger/Exclusive Media hide caption

toggle caption
Claire Folger/Exclusive Media

Review

New Angles, But Little New Light, On A Familiar Tragedy

Parkland, from writer-director Peter Landesman, follows people caught up in the drama around the John F. Kennedy assassination, including hospital staff, the Secret Service and the Oswald family. Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, Billy Bob Thornton and Paul Giamatti star.

Browse the section archive or search npr.org