Like many small children at that time I recall the assassination and the Oswald murder due to the shocking reaction of adults to the constant tv coverage that weekend. What should have been an unremarkable weekend turned into a national nightmare.
If you ever find yourself in Dallas I can't recommend enough a visit to the Sixth Floor Museum. They have worked diligently to maintain the same grounds and street/traffic markings as they were on that fateful day.
Etched in my memory forever is sitting on the couch with my uncle, watching TV. We saw Oswald get shot and my uncle screamed Bill!!! (mom's name). She ran out of the kitchen, holding an iron skillet.
I watched this live on television. I was a high school kid glued to the post-assassination coverage. I wonder if people today realize what a thunderous, all-consuming event that was. 🤔
I remember watching this on @cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy on a Sunday afternoon as we were visiting second set of grandparents for dinner. I was eight at the time.
My sister and I saw the shooting live on tv. My sister started screaming “Oswald’s been shot! Oswald’s been shot!” And the entire family came running into the living room. TTBOMR it was NBC News.
Imagine if something like this happened today? Some people would say “conspiracy”, some would say “coincidence” but most would say “what was the score of last night’s game?”.
I was 11 and when the action moved to the Capitol I grew bored and asked mom if I could go out and shoot baskets. Surprisingly, she said no. Sit down, she said, this is history in the making. Not 5 Minutes later Ruby shot Oswald and I saw it. Lesson learned.
After that I apparently fled to my bedroom where I wrote a letter which was never mailed. Found years later behind a headboard, I had written about how it felt as if no grown ups were in charge. I know now adults wondered if they were seeing a coup.
That morning Dad was making pancakes, Mom was doing the wash, me & my sister were watching TV a little upset there were no cartoon just coverage of the JFK assassination. The TV must have been on NBC because we saw Oswald be shot. Dad heard us making noise & came out to see what was happening.
When he discovered we'd seen Oswald be shot he told us to go to the dining room. I could see Dad watching & Mom went past us to see what was going on. After that they kind of controlled what we saw but they also talked about how it was history & important so we watched the coverage together.
I was 9 yrs old and in 3rd grade when JFK was assassinated. All the students went outside and said a prayer surrounding the flag that was at half-mast. We were watching CBS when Oswald was shot on Sunday. We had just come home from Mass. I remember everyone was shocked
And the news of this occurred on a Sunday morning. Learned of it when I got home from Mass, an especially sad Mass. However it was the talk of 7th grade recess on Monday, with impromptu student reenactments of that photo, which made the newspapers that morning….because, that’s what 12 year olds do.
Would you say the Kennedy and Oswald assassinations sparked the beginning of conspiracy theories in this country? Or if not, maybe brought them more mainstream? Curious on your thoughts.
I was 5 & my mother took me to the funeral procession the same day (remembered mostly for the famous photo of JFK Jr. saluting his dad.) My mother had a small transitor radio & heard the 1st report of the shooting. What I remember is the whispered ripple as the news traveled through the crowd.
I remember my mother screaming “he’s got a gun!” I watched live but never really saw Ruby. Broadcast live, but don’t think “instant replay” was available then. Somebody explain 1963 video technology. Was it broadcast live but recorded on film?
A few years ago, I found out that it's possible to see on YouTube the live TV coverage of the shooting. I had never seen it from the '70s until then. Not essential viewing, but still powerful and disturbing, and I'm glad we can so easily see this and countless other things now with a few clicks.
My very young memories of the 60s...my mom too often sitting on the hassock in front of the TV with her head in her hands and her sad face moist with tears.
I watched it on TV. I was a teenager. The whole family had been home (dad worked for Federal govt, offices were closed) tv coverage of JFK assassination was non stop. It’s always been about the guns, my whole life.
I was only three and a half but I remember these events more clearly than anything else from my first decade. I even made my dad promise he’d never be president.
Interestingly my parents met while working at the FBI. They were file clerks, and by default read many of the JFK assassination files. They tell me there is not much in there. And these were files were often run to Hoover.
My parents, my grandparents (father's parents) and Hoover. One of the most cherished pictures I have. Apparently, Hoover was an ass to those who worked there but loved meeting families of those who worked there. Treated visitors fantastic.
I was the only one in my family watching the TV when it happened. I ran to tell them, but because I was so young, they laughed and said I misunderstood what I saw.
I was home watching tv and saw this happen live. I was 8 years old. I had no idea our country was in danger of sinking into fascism during my lifetime. I'm in grieving now to witness it happening today.
For 5 days we sat together and watched tv.
Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.
I can see the whole scene in my mind. Including the food my mother put out that nobody ate.
Saw this live on TV. We yelled for daddy to come see. He let us stay home to watch the coverage & skip church. He let us miss school to watch JFK's funeral. My parents had a fine sense of history--
I was 8 and was watching it. Being a naive 8 yr old I cheered. My older sister and parents had to explain to me why it wasn’t ok—including the need for a trial to try & figure out if (and why) he did it
I remember watching that on TV in real time. I saw JFK at the Long Island Arena during his 1960 campaign. His oratory skills were unmatched & he was so charismatic. I was only 8 but remember how the crowd inside & the overflow crowd outside was electrified. Then, when he was shot, the world stopped.
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https://youtu.be/P9J9LK430ng?si=PYoVQQM6OHZ4WhnE
The patsy was silenced.
B&W
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/jack-ruby-shoots-lee-harvey-oswald-on-live-television/1970609/
“Jaaaaaack Ruuuuuuuuby!!”
I was six
@soledadobrien 's podcast on the assassintion
https://soledadproductions.com/series
It was the pursuit of the cop killer that caught Oswald in the movie theater.
I was 10.5 years old then.
He was shot & incinerated before investigators could through job.
Still no investigation of all the unanswered questions.
Staged & brushed under the rug.
Anyone ever notice how similar Golda Meir and LBJ appear?
She was from Milwaukee!
I didn’t hear one thing about JFK on the 21st.
I remember it all vividly! Then the above happened on live tv📺
Simply shocking.
Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.
I can see the whole scene in my mind. Including the food my mother put out that nobody ate.