*Includes two dozen pictures of Kennedy, Oswald, locations in Dealey Plaza, and other seminal moments before, during, and after the assassination.
*Explains the lead-up to November 22, 1963 and why Kennedy took his fateful trip to Texas.
*Discusses the different findings of the various investigations of the assassination and explains the conspiracy theories
"We never had any hope of saving his life." - A doctor in the emergency room
In the 19th century, the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle famously wrote, "The history of the world is but the biography of great men", popularizing the "Great Man" theory that the course of history is shaped by a select few heroic individuals. While historians and others continue to debate the accuracy of the Great Man theory of history, there is no question that the course of history is permanently altered by decisive moments in time, where a different result would have produced drastically different outcomes. Charles River Editors' Decisive Moments in History examines the events that changed history forever and set the world down the path it finds itself on today.
In the annals of American history, few moments have been so thoroughly seared into the nation's conscience that Americans can remember exactly where and when they heard about an earth-shattering event. In the 20th century, there was Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
November 22, 1963 started as a typical Friday, and many Americans were unaware that President Kennedy was even heading to Dallas, Texas. John and Jackie arrived in Dallas in the morning, with Texas Governor John Connally alongside them and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson due to arrive later to meet them there. The Kennedys and the Connallys intended to participate in public events later in the day, and Jackie and John were welcomely surprised by the warm reception they received. A public parade was hosted for the President and First Lady that afternoon, and the First Couple rode with the Connallys in an open motorcade en route to a speech Kennedy would deliver later. As they waved to the people lining the streets, around 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, Governor Connally's wife turned around to the first couple and said, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you."
Moments later, the most controversial assassination in American history took place as a series of shots were fired at the motorcade. The indelible images provided by the Zapruder film of Kennedy being hit in the throat and head, followed by Jackie crawling over the backseat toward the trunk are now instantly recognizable. Within minutes, the news of the shooting began to spread from Dallas across the nation, and everyone's worst fears were confirmed when the President was declared dead about half an hour after the shooting.
In the wake of the shooting, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested, proclaimed his innocence, and was then murdered himself by Jack Ruby two days later. The day after that, the President was given a state funeral and procession. The unbelievable chain of events that took place in those 72 hours understandably left the nation shell-shocked.
Despite countless official and unofficial investigations, the assassination is just as mysterious and confusing as ever, and conspiracy theories continue to run rampant nearly 50 years after the assassination. Was Lee Harvey Oswald a patsy? Was he a lone gunman? Was the assassination ordered by the mob? Decisive Moments in History: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy chronicles the entire chain of events leading up to the assassination and its immediate aftermath, examines the different conclusions reached by different investigations, and discusses the conspiracy theories and legacy of the assassination. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Kennedy assassination like you never have before, in no time at all.