One of the most historic events of the 20th century was the assassination of US President John Kennedy
Kennedy was the 35th presidentof the United States, serving as President from January 1961 until November 1963
During his time in office the US entered the space race with the Soviet Union
Kennedy pledged that the US would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade
Unfortunately, he never lived to see this happen
In October of 1962. the US and the Soviet Union came dangerously close to entering a full-scale nuclear War
This event was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy’s skillful handling of the situation, along with that of his Soviet counter part, Nikita Khrushchev, helped save the world from a nuclear catastrophe
Following this event, his approval rating in the United States improved from 66% to 77%
To many, he was considered to be the type of leader who could build a better world
(His approval rating improved to 77 percent after the Cuban Missile Crisis)
He was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in the city of Dallas Texas.
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy’s presidency came to a sudden and tragic end
Kennedy and his wife were sitting in an open car, waving to a large crowd of people when he was shot
They were sitting in an open car, with no protection, because the sky was clear
It had rained until about 10 a.m. but then the sun came out
If the sky hadn’t cleared, there would have been a bubble top, or clear roof on the car
This would have prevented the assassination
Kennedy wanted it down so that he could be closer to the crowds who were there to greet him
Another factor that contributed to the assassination was the route of the motorcade through the city
The route was published several days earlier in the local newspapers
The motorcade was to pass through downtown Dallas and round a sharp corner near the building where the assassin worked
From that building, there was a clear view of the presidents car
If the route had been different. the assassination probably wouldn’t have taken place
(If the sky hadn't cleared,they couldn't have been in an open car)
The president was struck by two bullets, but it was the second one that probably killed him
That was the fatal shot
It opened a massive wound in his head
Sitting beside him, his wife’s last words to her husband were: Jack,Jack, can you hear me? I love you,Jack
Kennedy’s death disillusioned many Americans who had been inspired by his vision for the future
With his death, a whole generation of Americans woke up to a reality where their dreams for a brighter future had been shattered
So if any of these factors had been different, history would have changed
it's highly unlikely that the assassin would have used that location had the view not been clear