This past weekend, my husband and I visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas. I have included a few of the pictures we took. I had always wanted to visit this site, so I was very excited to see it in person. After watching the Zapruder film, along with many different documentaries, I had an idea of what to expect. However, I was so surprised by how small everything appeared. The distance between the Texas School Book Depository building and the spot that JFK was assassinated was surprisingly short. Also, the grassy knoll fence area was a lot closer to the road than I expected.
After watching the haunting Zapruder film so many times, I think I was desensitized to the horror of the event. Chris actually stood in the same spot as Zapruder and took some video of cars going by. Standing there, we could just feel the shock and grief that the nation must have experienced.
This week I'm listing thirteen facts relating to John F. Kennedy and/or his assassination in 1963.
1. The 1961 Lincoln Continental, open-top, modified limousine in which JFK was riding is currently at the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn Michigan.
2. The motorcade route appeared in the newspaper on November 21st, the day before the shooting.
3. The Warren Commission released their report on September 24, 1964.
4. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) sells microfilm copies of the Warren Commission Report. It can also be viewed at US Government depository libraries throughout the US.
5. The Zapruder family created an enhanced version of the film that is much clearer than the original film in NARA's custody. The copyright of the Zapruder film is owned by the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas Texas.
6. Almost thirty years after the assassination, Congress enacted the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. The Act mandated that all assassination-related material be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
7. It was planned that Kennedy would travel from the airport in a motorcade through downtown Dallas (which included Dealey Plaza) to give a speech at the Dallas Trade Mart.
8. Even though I have bought into the conspiracy theories in the past, there really is overwhelming evidence to prove that Oswald did it.
9. Vice President Johnson took the oath of office at 2:38 p.m. while on board Air Force One, just before it departed Love Field.
10. JFK's funeral was held on November 25, 1963, which was his son's third birthday.
11. The Kennedy family had just experienced the tragic loss of a son in August of 1963. Their son, named Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, was born prematurely and died of what is now called Pulmonary Distress Syndrome.
12. In 2002, it was released that President Kennedy suffered from Addison's Disease, which is adrenal insufficiency. Apparently, he was in quite a bit of pain throughout his life.
13. My favorite quote from his Jan. 20, 1961 Inaugural Address: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
Have you seen "Cities of the Underworld" on the History Channel? When Chris puts the TV on the History Channel, my first reaction is to roll my eyes and sigh. I just can't help myself. But, nine times out of ten, I really enjoy the show! 
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