9 Interesting Facts About John F. Kennedy

Interesting Facts (4)

#001
A natural speed reader, he got through roughly 2,500 words per minute, about ten times the average pace. He would read six newspapers cover to cover over breakfast.
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#002
Kennedy intended to declare "Ich bin Berliner" (I am a Berliner) during his celebrated 1963 address by the Berlin Wall. German does not put an article before nationalities, so what he actually said was "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am one with the people of Berlin). The tale that this means "I am a jelly donut" is a myth: Germans call the pastry "pfannkuchen" (pancake).
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#003
A voracious reader, he once spoke of his enthusiasm for Ian Fleming's James Bond books, naming "From Russia with Love" as a particular favorite. That is why the Bond producers chose From Russia with Love (1963) as the series' second film.
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#004
On November 17, 1963, during a stopover in Palm Beach, FL, on the way to Dallas, TX, a private screening of Tom Jones (1963) was arranged for him. It was the last film he saw.
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Career & Awards (1)

#005
Lyndon B. Johnson, the Texas congressman who became his Vice President, had run against him for the 1960 presidential nomination; Kennedy picked him for the ticket because he needed Johnson to appeal to southern voters. Robert F. Kennedy, John's brother, could not stand Johnson, and the dislike ran both ways.
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Life & Family (4)

#006
Patrick Kennedy, his great-grandfather, left Dunganstown in County Wexford as an impoverished Irish emigrant and reached America in the autumn of 1848. Cholera struck him down, and he died at his home in Boston on November 22, 1858 — 105 years to the day before JFK was assassinated.
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#007
Though in private he was plagued by numerous illnesses and ailments, he cultivated a public image of rugged fitness and masculinity. After his notorious debate with Richard Nixon, he spent a week in Florida tanning and exercising on the beach. He was often photographed playing football with his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy or taking part in sports with his family. One famous photograph shows him in a leather jacket, jeans and sunglasses, leaning casually against a wall; in truth he was so worn down by a virus and by the campaign that he had literally fallen asleep on his feet.
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#008
He regarded his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy as his foremost adviser and closest friend. Bobby felt the same about Jack and was "utterly devastated" by his death in 1963. Friends and family said Bobby was never the same man afterward.
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#009
The riderless horse "Black Jack", which walked in his funeral procession, also appeared at the funerals of Presidents Herbert Hoover and Lyndon B. Johnson and of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. By coincidence, "Black Jack" was likewise the nickname of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's father.
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