John F. Kennedy: the record

Jack. The 35th president, 1961-1963, from Massachusetts. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President: 35th
In office: 1961-1963
Home state: Massachusetts
Party: Democratic
Height: 6'1"

The record

RecordIn 1943 a Japanese destroyer cut Kennedy's patrol boat, PT-109, in half. He led the survivors to an island, swimming for hours and towing a badly burned crewman by gripping the strap of the man's life jacket in his teeth.Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, John F. Kennedy
RecordStranded after PT-109 went down, Kennedy carved a short message into a coconut shell. Two island scouts paddled it to an Allied base, and the crew was rescued. He kept the coconut on his desk.Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, John F. Kennedy
RecordThe public saw a young, healthy athlete playing touch football with his family. That image was only half true. In private, Kennedy lived with serious back pain and Addison's disease, and took medicine for both.Source: National Library of Medicine, President Kennedy and Addison's Disease
RecordIn October 1962, spy planes found Soviet nuclear missiles going up in Cuba, about 90 miles from Florida. Kennedy put a naval quarantine around the island instead of attacking, and after 13 tense days the missiles came out.Source: National Archives, Aerial Photograph of Missiles in Cuba
RecordKennedy was 43 when he took office, the youngest person ever elected president. He was also the first Catholic president.Source: Miller Center, Kennedy: Life in Brief

What he cared about

Putting an American on the Moon before 1970. He set the goal in 1961.
Slowing the nuclear arms race. He signed a treaty banning nuclear tests in the air, in space and underwater.
Sending Americans abroad to help. He started the Peace Corps in 1961.

The full record

In 1963 his administration's Justice Department approved FBI wiretaps on Martin Luther King Jr.

How he fights in POTUS KO

PT-109 endurance

Kennedy's toughest moments weren't quick. They were long: hours in the water after PT-109, and years of pain nobody saw. So he doesn't rush you. He wraps you up and waits for you to fade.

See POTUS KO

Questions about John F. Kennedy

What happened to John F. Kennedy's PT-109?

In 1943 a Japanese destroyer cut Kennedy's patrol boat, PT-109, in half. He led the survivors to an island, swimming for hours and towing a badly burned crewman by gripping the strap of the man's life jacket in his teeth.

Was John F. Kennedy as healthy as he looked?

The public saw a young, healthy athlete playing touch football with his family. That image was only half true. In private, Kennedy lived with serious back pain and Addison's disease, and took medicine for both.

How old was John F. Kennedy when he became president?

Kennedy was 43 when he took office, the youngest person ever elected president. He was also the first Catholic president.