Did You Know?

Age Range
Although Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest man to serve as president, John Kennedy was the youngest elected president at 43 years old. He was also the youngest to die in office, at the age of 46.

All in the Family
While JFK was president, his brother Robert was U.S. Attorney General, and his youngest brother, Ted, was elected a U.S. Senator. This is the only time that three members of the same family have held such high government positions. JFK was also the only president to appoint a sibling to a cabinet post.

A Literary Leader
JFK is the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize, for his collective biography, Profiles in Courage.

A New Medium
The Nixon-Kennedy debates were the first ever to be televised, and JFK's ability to project a positive image on-screen may have given him a significant advantage in the election. Interestingly, many people who heard the debates over the radio thought Nixon had done a more competent job.

Strange but True
Although there is no significance, historical or otherwise, it is interesting to note some of the coincidental facts in the lives of Abraham Lincoln and JFK. Lincoln was elected in 1860, Kennedy in 1960 -- Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy, Kennedy's was named Lincoln -- both men were assassinated -- and both men were succeeded by their vice presidents, both of whom were named Johnson.

My American Experience

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