What to Know About John F Kennedys Life in 90 Seconds
About a week after President John F. Kennedys sudden and shocking death in November of 1963, by the bullet of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, TIME chose this letter from a reader as the first to print in response to the news, Kennedy was only 46 when he was killed, but he fit a lot of life into those few decades scholar, writer, war hero, family man, celebrity and  of course  politician. And, though a greater number of years have now passed since his death than passed during his life, his legacy continues to be a major touchstone for American culture. For the 100th anniversary of his May 29, 1917, birth, here's a very, very brief look back at his life and the complicated century that he helped shape.