It’s one of those moments in history where everyone who was alive at the time can tell you exactly what they were doing. Honestly, it’s kinda rare for a single date to carry that much weight decades later. If you’re looking for the quick answer, John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963.
But just knowing the date doesn't really cover the chaos of that afternoon in Dallas. It wasn't just a "day"; it was a series of minutes that felt like hours, starting with a sunny motorcade and ending with a swearing-in on an airplane.
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The Timeline of November 22, 1963
The day actually started out pretty normal, or at least as normal as a presidential campaign trip gets. Kennedy had spent the night in Fort Worth. He gave a couple of speeches that morning, joked about Jackie taking longer to get ready than he did, and then hopped on a super short flight to Dallas.
By 11:50 a.m. CST, the motorcade was leaving Love Field. The weather was beautiful—so nice, in fact, that they decided to leave the "bubble top" off the limousine. Looking back, that’s one of those "what if" details that just kills you.
The Shots at Dealey Plaza
The motorcade was heading toward the Dallas Trade Mart for a lunch. At exactly 12:30 p.m., the car turned off Houston Street onto Elm Street, passing right by the Texas School Book Depository.
Most witnesses say they heard three shots.
The first one seemed to miss.
The second hit the President in the back of the neck and also wounded Texas Governor John Connally.
The third was the fatal shot to the head.
Basically, within a matter of seconds, the entire vibe of the day flipped from a cheering crowd to total horror. The limo driver accelerated, racing toward Parkland Memorial Hospital.
What Happened at Parkland Hospital?
When the car screeched into the ambulance entrance at 12:36 p.m., it was pretty clear things were dire. Doctors worked on him in Trauma Room 1, but there wasn't much they could do. At 1:00 p.m. CST, John F. Kennedy was officially pronounced dead.
It’s worth noting that the public didn't know yet. People knew he’d been shot, but the official word didn't go out until 1:33 p.m. when acting White House Press Secretary Malcolm Kilduff made the announcement. If you've ever seen the footage of Walter Cronkite taking off his glasses on CBS, that happened at 1:38 p.m.—that's the moment the news really "hit" the American living room.
The Capture of Lee Harvey Oswald
While the world was reeling, a whole other drama was playing out a few miles away in the Oak Cliff neighborhood. Lee Harvey Oswald had left the Book Depository just minutes after the shooting.
- He went home, grabbed a pistol, and went back out.
- At 1:15 p.m., he was stopped by a Dallas police officer named J.D. Tippit.
- Oswald shot and killed Tippit in broad daylight.
He eventually ducked into the Texas Theatre without paying for a ticket. The shoe store manager next door noticed him looking suspicious and tipped off the cops. By 1:50 p.m., Oswald was in handcuffs. It's crazy to think that less than an hour and a half after the President was shot, the primary suspect was already in custody.
Why the Date Friday, November 22 Still Matters
You've probably heard a million conspiracy theories about this. Was there a second gunman on the grassy knoll? Was it the CIA? The Mob? The Warren Commission, which was the official government investigation, concluded in 1964 that Oswald acted alone.
However, a later investigation by the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1979 suggested there was a "high probability" of two gunmen, though they didn't name anyone else. This ambiguity is exactly why people still obsess over what day was JFK assassinated and every tiny detail of that Friday.
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The Swearing-In of LBJ
Before the day was even over, the country had a new president. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in at 2:38 p.m. on board Air Force One. He stood next to Jackie Kennedy, who was still wearing her pink suit stained with her husband's blood. She famously refused to change, saying, "I want them to see what they have done."
Common Misconceptions About the Date
A lot of people get the timing or the sequence of events mixed up because so much happened in such a short window.
- "He died instantly." Technically, he wasn't pronounced dead until 1:00 p.m., though many medical experts believe the head wound was non-survivable from the second it happened.
- "Oswald was arrested for the assassination." Initially, Oswald was actually arrested for the murder of Officer Tippit. The charges for the JFK assassination didn't come until later that night/early Saturday morning.
- "It was a weekend." Because the funeral was so massive and took place on Monday (a national day of mourning), some people misremember the shooting as happening on a Saturday. It was definitely a Friday.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a history buff or just curious about how this event shaped modern America, there are a few things you should check out to get the full picture:
- Visit the Sixth Floor Museum: If you’re ever in Dallas, this museum is actually located inside the old Texas School Book Depository. Seeing the "sniper's perch" in person changes your perspective on the distance and the angles involved.
- Read the Warren Report: It’s long, but the summary gives you the foundational "official" version of events.
- Watch the Zapruder Film: It's only 26 seconds long, but it’s the most significant piece of film in history. Be warned, though—it’s extremely graphic.
- Look up the JFK Act records: Over the last few years, the National Archives has been releasing thousands of previously classified documents related to the assassination.
Knowing what day was JFK assassinated is just the entry point. The real story is in the details of those chaotic hours in Dallas and how they fundamentally broke the trust many Americans had in their government.
To learn more about the aftermath, look into the life of Jack Ruby, the man who shot Oswald just two days later on Sunday, November 24, ensuring that a full trial would never happen.