The 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, better known as JFK, left a riveting and memorable legacy after his untimely death. Even decades after a bullet took his life, people are fascinated by the man he was and continue to search out new details into his life.
Our JFK Assassination Tour is one of the best things to do in Dallas. You’ll spend an hour with one of our experienced guides, walking the path JFK’s motorcade took on the fateful day of his death. You’ll stand where Lee Harvey Oswald stood as he aimed a gun at the president, discuss various conspiracy theories surrounding the events, and even hear lesser-known stories about what happened after JFK passed away.
Here are a couple of fascinating JFK facts that are just an intro into what you’ll experience on our tour:
1. JFK had several attempts made on his life, though only four of them have been confirmed. A retired postal worker attempted to blow him up with a car full of dynamite just a month after JFK was elected into office.
2. He used his privilege to get into the Navy. JFK had an onslaught of health issues, much of which made it impossible to pass a proper physical examination and enlist in the military. He used his father’s influence to get the military to accept a false certificate of good health.
3. After becoming a Navy officer, Kennedy’s boat once sank. He and his crew swam over 3½ miles to an island and they were stranded there for a week.
4. JFK is the only president to have ever received a Purple Heart after he was wounded in action in 1943.
5. Caroline Kennedy is the only surviving child of JFK, and many know of her younger brother, JFK Jr. who died in a fatal plane crash in 1999. What many may not know is that JFK and Jackie O had two more children, one who was stillborn and one who died days after birth, and who are both buried alongside their dad in Arlington National Cemetery.
6. A top hat used to be mandatory attire for all incoming presidents, and even though he didn’t want to, JFK stuck to tradition. He was the last POTUS to do so, though he did remove it for much of the inauguration ceremony.
7. Kennedy earned $100,000 for his presidential services, though he donated his entire salary to charity. He wasn’t the first to do so – Herbert Hoover split his presidential salary among several charities and toward increasing his staff’s salary.
8. JFK was a fan of cigars and secured over a thousand cigars right before signing the Cuba Embargo which would ban all Cuban products from entering the US.
9. There are hundreds of places around the world that have been named after John F. Kennedy. These include streets, parks, schools, and more like the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York or the John F. Kennedy Arboretum in Ireland.
If these interesting JFK facts intrigued you, you’ll be blown away by the things you’ll learn on our JFK Assassination Tour. Check it out now!