When you think about the Kennedy family, your mind probably jumps straight to Dallas. Dealey Plaza. The motorcade. It’s the defining trauma of 20th-century American politics. But the story doesn't actually end with JFK. If you've ever found yourself wondering how many Kennedys were shot, you’re digging into a history that feels less like a series of political events and more like a recurring nightmare.
The answer isn't a single name. It's a pattern.
Most people can name two off the top of their heads. John and Bobby. The brothers. The President and the Senator. But the "Kennedy Curse"—a term the family famously hates but the public can't stop using—extends into a web of plane crashes, skiing accidents, and yes, more than two instances of gunfire. To understand the scale of it, you have to look at the violent intersection of the Kennedy name and the American 1960s.
The Two Most Famous Assassinations
Let's start with the facts everyone knows, but often gets the details wrong on.
First, there was John F. Kennedy. November 22, 1963. He was hit by two bullets—one in the neck and one in the head—while riding in a Lincoln Continental. The Warren Commission officially pinned it on Lee Harvey Oswald, though if you spend five minutes on the internet, you’ll find a thousand people who disagree. It was the shot heard 'round the world, literally changing the trajectory of the Cold War and civil rights.
Then, five years later, lightning struck twice.
Robert F. Kennedy was at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was June 5, 1968. He had just won the California primary. He was the hope of the "New Left." He was walking through a crowded kitchen pantry to save time when Sirhan Sirhan opened fire with a .22 caliber revolver. Bobby was shot three times. One bullet entered behind his right ear, and he died the following day.
Two brothers. Two rising stars. Two sets of bullets.
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Wait, Were There More?
This is where the history gets a bit more nuanced. When people ask how many Kennedys were shot, they are usually looking for a definitive number of victims of gun violence. Technically, the number of Kennedys killed by an assassin's bullet stands at two.
However, the family’s relationship with violence and sudden death is much broader.
Take Ted Kennedy, for example. He wasn't shot, but he was the third brother who lived in the shadow of those who were. He survived a horrific plane crash in 1964 that killed his aide and the pilot. He spent months in the hospital with a crushed back. If you’re counting "violent attempts on their lives," the list grows.
And then there is the tragic case of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest brother. He didn't die by a handgun or a rifle in a city street, but he died in an explosion during World War II. He was piloting a "drone" plane—essentially a bomber packed with explosives—that blew up over the English Channel. It wasn't an assassination, but it was a violent, sudden end for the man Joe Sr. actually intended to be the first Kennedy president.
Why the Number Matters to History
Numbers aren't just statistics. They represent the decapitation of a political movement.
By the time RFK was shot in 1968, the American psyche was fractured. You have to remember the context: Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated only two months prior. The country felt like it was vibrating apart. When we ask about the number of Kennedys shot, we’re really asking about the "what ifs."
What if JFK had finished his second term?
What if Bobby had reached the White House?
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The violence wasn't just physical; it was systemic. It changed how the Secret Service operates. It changed how we view public spaces. Before Dallas, the idea of the President being in a convertible without a bubble top was normal. After 1968, the idea of a candidate walking through a kitchen without a heavy security detail became unthinkable.
Misconceptions About the "Kennedy Curse"
It's easy to get lost in the weeds of the "Curse." Some people include John F. Kennedy Jr. in the list of violent deaths. While his death was undeniably tragic and violent—a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard in 1999—he was not shot.
There's also Rosemary Kennedy, whose life was effectively ended by a botched lobotomy ordered by her father. It wasn't a bullet, but it was a form of violence that arguably caused as much family trauma as the assassinations.
Honestly, the obsession with the number of shootings often obscures the reality that this was a family that took massive risks. They flew their own planes. They played hard. They lived in the public eye during an era of extreme radicalization. When you combine high-profile politics with a lack of modern security, the math, sadly, starts to make sense.
Key Figures and Their Fates
To keep things straight, here is a breakdown of the specific violent ends that often get confused:
- JFK: Assassinated (Gunshot), 1963.
- RFK: Assassinated (Gunshot), 1968.
- Joe Jr.: Military explosion, 1944.
- Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy: Plane crash, 1948.
- JFK Jr.: Plane crash, 1999.
- Michael Kennedy: Skiing accident, 1997.
- David Kennedy: Overdose, 1984.
So, when strictly discussing those who were shot, the tally remains at two—but those two deaths carried the weight of an entire generation's grief.
The Cultural Impact of the Shootings
The legacy of these two shootings is why we still talk about this family today. They weren't just politicians; they were celebrities. They were "Camelot."
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The images of the blood-stained pink Chanel suit or the haunting photo of a busboy cradling Bobby Kennedy’s head are burned into the global consciousness. These weren't just crimes; they were televised traumas. They gave birth to the modern conspiracy theory industry. Because the "official" stories felt too small for the magnitude of the loss, people began to fill the gaps with their own narratives involving the CIA, the Mob, or LBJ.
Whether you believe the official reports or the fringe theories, the fact remains: the Kennedy family paid a price in blood that no other American political dynasty has ever come close to matching.
How to Explore Kennedy History Today
If you really want to understand the impact of these events beyond just a number, you've gotta look at the primary sources. History isn't just a list of dates. It's the feeling of the era.
1. Visit the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
It’s located in the old Texas School Book Depository. Standing at that window—regardless of what you think happened—gives you a chilling perspective on how close the motorcade actually was. It makes the reality of the shooting feel incredibly intimate and small, which is terrifying in its own way.
2. Read "The Robert Kennedy Memory Project"
While JFK gets most of the movies, RFK’s death in Los Angeles is often more revealing about the state of America in 1968. His speeches leading up to that night are some of the most moving pieces of oratory in American history.
3. Watch the Zapruder Film (with Caution)
It's the most famous piece of film in history. It’s only 26 seconds long. But it’s the reason we have so many questions about how many shots were fired and where they came from.
4. Study the Church Committee Reports
If you're into the "why" behind the shootings, look into the 1975 Senate investigations. They don't prove a conspiracy in the JFK assassination, but they reveal a lot about the "dark side" of American intelligence that fueled all the theories in the first place.
5. Distinguish Fact from Legend
Always check the source. The "Kennedy Curse" is a media construct. The shootings were specific acts of political violence. Keeping that distinction clear helps respect the actual history rather than turning a family's grief into a campfire ghost story.
The reality of how many Kennedys were shot is a somber reminder of a decade where America lost its innocence. Two men, two cities, and a legacy that continues to haunt our politics sixty years later. Understanding the truth of these events is the first step in moving past the myths and seeing the history for what it actually was: a tragedy of human proportions.