On this day, November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy, just 46 years old, was struck down by an assassin's bullets in Dallas. The gunman was Lee Harvey Oswald.
The President had organized a two-day swing through Texas, scheduled for November 22 and 23, hoping to drum up enthusiasm for his New Frontier political agenda. That fateful morning began in Fort Worth, where Kennedy delivered two speeches before boarding a short flight to Dallas.
Riding in an open-top convertible, Kennedy was joined by Texas Governor John Connolly along with both of their wives. They were making their way through Dealey Plaza, headed toward a Dallas business meeting where the President was slated to give another speech. Twice before, the motorcade had paused so Kennedy could reach out and shake hands with well-wishers along the route. Everything had gone smoothly up to that point.
Then, at 12:30 pm, CST, the motorcade made a sharp turn at Dealey Plaza — and gunfire erupted. Kennedy was hit. His mouth fell open in agony as one bullet tore through his upper back and throat. A second shot struck him in the head.
The limousine accelerated immediately. Jacqueline Kennedy let out a scream. Secret Service agents scrambled to shield the President from his attacker, but it was already too late. Within thirty minutes, doctors at Parkland Hospital pronounced him dead.
Governor Connolly sustained severe bullet wounds during the attack as well, though he ultimately survived. Neither of the two wives was hit.
Lee Harvey Oswald had fired on the President and the Governor from a perch on the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository building. In the aftermath, he shot and killed a policeman who confronted him before being apprehended inside a movie theater.