How Much Do You Know About John F. Kennedy?

Born Jacqueline Bouvier, Jackie Kennedy had ancestors hailing from the French aristocracy. Looking to connect with her roots, in her junior year of college she set sail for Grenoble, France, followed by Paris. As well as an excellent understanding of French history and culture, she mastered the language — which came in use during her time as First Lady when her husband needed a translator.

JFK was born and raised in Massachusetts, and he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946 as a representative of Massachusetts’ 11th Congressional District. As a 29-year-old congressman, Kennedy advocated for an array of liberal policies, including increased public housing and higher Social Security payments. He served three terms, and his ambition led him to rapidly rise beyond Congress.

Many Presidents have had faithful dogs and steeds by their side, but JFK added feathered friends into the mix. The two parakeets who lived in the White House during Kennedy’s presidency were called Bluebell and Marybelle. They were the pets of John Jr., though Caroline and Jackie were also known to enjoy playing with them.

JFK was an avid reader; the former President even has a small bibliography to his name. In fact, Kennedy’s first book was written as his senior-year thesis at Harvard. The book, titled “Why England Slept,” explores why Britain was slow to prepare for World War II, and it became a bestseller.

When JFK accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency in 1960, he introduced a new vision: the “New Frontier.” The term didn’t refer to any specific laws, but encompassed the President’s vision to protect the newly won rights of African Americans, fight “ignorance and prejudice,” and find new ways to alleviate poverty.

John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft are the only U.S. Presidents buried at Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery. Kennedy’s grave became a popular tourist site, and was later moved to a larger lot nearby, along with an eternal flame. Several of Kennedy’s family members are buried nearby, including his brothers Robert and Teddy, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

JFK received the Purple Heart for his service during World War II, where he captained a motorized torpedo boat, PT-109. In 1943, Kennedy’s boat collided with a Japanese destroyer. He dragged two crewmembers to safety on a nearby island, and spent six days signaling for help, even carving an SOS message on a coconut husk, which he later proudly displayed on his White House desk.

Jackie Kennedy helped inspire the nickname “Camelot” during an interview with “Life” magazine days after her husband’s assassination. JFK had been a fan of the 1960 musical (co-written by a college friend), which told the tale of the legendary King Arthur. Jackie Kennedy likened her husband’s administration to the romanticized royal court in the musical, and the term “Camelot” quickly caught on.

John F. Kennedy was born in Boston to one of the most prominent business families in the area. The Kennedys’ childhood home, now a National Historic Site, was a green Colonial Revival-style house in the middle-class suburb of Brookline. The Kennedys also had a vacation home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, where the young JFK spent his days sailing and playing sports.

In 1961, 1,400 Cuban exiles, trained and supported by the CIA, were captured during an invasion at the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, intended to remove leader Fidel Castro. The plan originated with the Eisenhower administration, but JFK took responsibility for the failed assault. The fiasco heightened Cold War tensions and contributed to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis — a nuclear standoff between the U.S., Cuba, and the Soviet Union.

The Peace Corps was founded in 1961, designed to offer U.S. citizens a chance at international public service, and to bolster America’s image around the world. Volunteers work in fields such as education, community development, and health. Since its founding, some 240,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 142 countries.

Kennedy met Frank Sinatra through actor Peter Lawford, a member of Sinatra’s “Rat Pack” and Kennedy’s brother-in-law. Sinatra, a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party, released a revised version of his 1959 song “High Hopes” with new lyrics touting JFK’s campaign. After Kennedy won, Sinatra organized a star-studded 1961 inauguration concert, but the friendship fizzled not long after Kennedy became President.

When he was elected in November 1960, 43-year-old Kennedy became both the youngest elected President and the first Catholic President. He was also the first — and only — President to win a Pulitzer Prize, which he earned in 1957 for his book “Profiles in Courage,” a series of mini-biographies of eight notable senators in history.

Eight years younger than JFK, Robert Kennedy led the U.S. Justice Department as Attorney General. The Kennedys were criticized for nepotism for the appointment, especially because of Bobby’s relative lack of experience, but RFK became his brother’s most trusted advisor, playing a key role in civil rights policy and helping negotiate an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis. He left his post after his brother’s death and became a U.S. senator.

In 1953, 24-year-old Jacqueline Bouvier married 36-year-old John F. Kennedy, then a U.S. senator. The couple had met two years earlier, while Bouvier was working as a Washington, D.C. news photographer. The First Lady’s youth, glamor, and artistic sensibilities made her a style icon. Following JFK’s death, she married shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, and later built a successful career as a book editor.

By 1962, the USSR had successfully put the first man into orbit, and the world’s eyes were on the U.S. to see how it would accelerate the space race. In a speech at Rice University, JFK was quick to answer his critics, setting the ambitious target of reaching the moon. He famously said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

Dressed in a glittery gown, Marilyn Monroe took to the podium on May 19, 1962, to sing “Happy Birthday” to JFK at a fundraiser held in Madison Square Garden. The rendition was sultry and intimate — the President was so pleased with it, he said, “I can now retire from politics after having had 'Happy Birthday' sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way.”

As a member of a Roman Catholic family, JFK had an uphill road to the presidency, as prejudice against Catholics was widespread in the U.S. in 1960. There had been only one Catholic presidential nominee before Kennedy, New York Governor Alfred Smith, and he was handily defeated, in part due to anti-Catholic slurs. Nonetheless, JFK won the 1960 race, becoming the first Catholic President in the U.S.

The “F” in JFK’s name stands for “Fitzgerald,” the maiden name of Kennedy’s mother, Rose. Rose Fitzgerald married Joseph Kennedy in 1914 and went on to have nine children; their parenting style placed a focus on enriching pursuits and competitive spirit.

Almost two years after construction began on a wall separating democratic West Berlin and communist East Berlin, President John F. Kennedy addressed a crowd of 120,000 people near the Berlin Wall. Kennedy vowed to support the citizens of Berlin and West Germany, declaring “Ich bin ein Berliner,” or “I am a Berliner.” In 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivered another famous address in Berlin, and the following year, the Berlin Wall fell.