As the 250th anniversary of America’s founding approaches, Auslin discusses the Declaration as a physical object and a set of ideals that have made America what it is today with Arun Rath, Executive Editor and Host at GBH.
Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/national-t...
May 5: join us for a free discussion with award-winning historian Michael Auslin on his new book, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America. The book charts the many lives of a document that captures the soul of America and has united generations around its defiant ideals.
Page from JPK's diary with paragraphs highlighted: "We returned and got ready for lunch. We started at 1:15 but King and Queen, with the two Princesses, had stopped in the long corridor. We all joined up and I talked with the Princesses. We all went into lunch. I sat on Mrs. Chamberlain's right and Princess Elizabeth on my right. Princess said she liked movies, loved Seven Dwarfs, particularly the animals when Snow White talked to them, liked Silly Symphonies. "When I asked her if she had seen Yank at Oxford she said they hadn’t seen many. "Mrs. Chamberlain asked her what her favorite study was and she said geography. She had just finished studying the Atlantic Coast of U.S.A."
Before Elizabeth was queen, she met another Kennedy: JFK's father, Joseph P. Kennedy, who was the Ambassador to the Court of St. James. His observations in his diary reveal the interests of the then-13 year old princess, including a love of animals.
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Handwritten note dated June 27th, 1963 on Buckingham Palace letterhead: Dear Mr. President, I am so sorry that I am away in Scotland while you are here seeing my Prime Minister, but I hope you will enjoy your all too brief visit and have a profitable discussion on the many difficult problems of the present day. I do hope that you may be able to come and spend a… (letter continues on page 2)
Page two letter: …longer time with us in this country in the not too far distant future. Please give my kind regards to Mrs. Kennedy and with my good wishes to you both I remain Yours sincerely Elizabeth R
But she wasn’t able to see him when he visited England two years later because she was traveling.
Her letter to JFK:
www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer...
Prince Philip, Jacqueline Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II, and JFK stand for a photograph. Prince Philip and JFK are in black tuxedos, and Mrs. Kennedy and the Queen are in formal dresses.
Queen Elizabeth II was born 100 years #otd on April 21, 1926. President and Mrs. Kennedy visited her and Prince Phillip during their European trip in 1961. (Photo id: PX96-33-60)
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Honey Fitz (waving hat), general contractor of Fenway Park Charles Logue (center), and other unidentified men on the field at Fenway Park.
Happy 114th, #FenwayPark! JFK's grandfather and mayor of Boston, John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (waving hat), threw out the first pitch at the first game on April 20, 1912.
Purple graphic reads "Enjoy April Break with free admission through Boston Family Days at these institutions: Institute of Contemporary Art The Paul Revere House JFK Presidential Library and Museum MassArt Art Museum Museum of Science USS Constitutional Museum To get your free tickets, just show your Boston Family Days pass at the ticketing desk. Not registered? Visit boston.gov/familydays"
Boston students + 2 guests can visit these cultural spots for free April 20-24 for a special week of Boston Family Days!
🖼️ @icaboston.bsky.social
🏇 @paulreverehouse.bsky.social
🌊 USS Constitution Museum
🔬 @museumofscience.bsky.social
🎨 Museum of African American History
🚀 @jfklibraryfdn.bsky.social
Paws and you’ll miss it: we’re in the last seven days of Presidential Pets! Come to the JFK Library to see the animals that acted as workers, trend-setters, diplomats, or political tools in the White House before the exhibit closes on April 26.
jfklibrary.org/PresidentialPets
The Bay of Pigs invasion began #otd on April 17, 1961 on the southeast coast of Cuba. JFK authorized the invasion, led by Cuban exiles, in order to overthrow the Castro regime and establish a non-communist government that would be friendly to the US.
jfklibrary.org/BayOfPigs
From April 20-26, celebrate #MASpaceWeek at the JFK Library! We’ll have fun and educational activities for learners of all ages, including:
🚀 Pop-up displays
🚀 Hands-on activities
🚀 Film screenings and live music performances
🚀 Panel discussions with space experts
jfklibrary.org/MASpaceWeek2026
While I am very happy over your obviously fine start as our President, my concern of Civil Rights and my vigorous opposition to your election is one of sincerity. The direction you seem to be going indicates America is in for great leadership, and I will be most happy if my fears continue to be proven wrong. We are naturally keeping a wondering eye on what will happen, and while any opposition or criticism may not be the most popular thin when you are leading so well, you must know that as an individual I am interested because what you do or do not do in the next 4 years could have a serious effect upon my children's future. In your letter to me of July 1, 1960, you indicated that you would use the influence of the White House in cases where moral issues are involved...Still, we are going to use whatever voice we have to awaken our people.
#OTD in 1947, #JackieRobinson became the first Black baseball player to play in the MLB.
14 years later, he wrote to JFK about the work still needed to be done in the area of civil rights.
jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKWHSFHW/008/JFKWHSFHW-008-016
Last month, Scouts and their families visited the JFK Library and learned about the job of the president and participated in activities that showed President Kennedy’s values of services, civics, and leadership.
Photographs by Reba Saldanha for the JFK Library Foundation
The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway’s personal papers. This program is co-presented with The International Hemingway Foundation and Society and the PEN/Faulkner Foundation.
Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/50th-annua...
April 26: join us for the 50th Annual PEN/Hemingway Award Ceremony at the JFK Library. Seán Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson, honors 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel winner Virginia Evans, author of The Correspondent. Award-winning author Alice McDermott delivers the keynote address.
Press release from the Office of the White House Press Secretary dated April 12, 1961 that reads: Following is the text of the President's telegram to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, N.S. Khrushchev: The people of the United States share with the people of the Soviet Union their satisfaction for the safe flight of the astronaut in man's first venture into space. We congratulate you and the Soviet scientists and engineers who made this feat possible. It is my sincere desire that in the continuing quest for knowledge of outer space our nations can work together to obtain the greatest benefit to mankind. John F. Kennedy
#OTD on April 12, 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the 1st human to go into space. President Kennedy wrote to congratulate Soviet Chairman Nikita Khrushchev in this telegram.
www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/jf...
JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy, with two puppies on her lap, sit on two lounge chairs on an outdoor patio. John Jr. sits next to Mrs. Kennedy, with one arm around spaniel Shannon. Caroline sits on the ground, with dog Wolf lying behind her and dog Charlie standing in front of her. Clipper, a German shepherd, stands to the side.
We can’t go too long with a pet-related holiday, and as it turns out, today is #NationalPetDay! Find out which presidents had animals by their sides in the special exhibit Presidential Pets, closing on April 26.
www.jfklibrary.org/visit-museum/exhibits/sp...
The successful return of the #Artemis crew reminds of our favorite genre of JFK: trying to talk to astronauts who have just splashed down! After #NASA astronaut Scott Carpenter had been recovered his orbital flight, JFK had *some* difficulty in calling him due to the technology of the day.
“… and return [them] safely to earth.” Congratulations to the #Artemis crew and everyone at NASA for a successful mission - now onto the Moon!
www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/tn...
Handwritten note on the Evelyn Lincoln's letterhead that says "He has been rescued from the raft - He is being take to USS Intrepid. His condition is good." A notation in the upper right in JFK's handwriting says "Carpenter flight"
When #NASA Astronaut Scott Carpenter had safely been recovered after his orbital flight in May 1962, JFK received this note during a meeting letting him know that he was safe.
The first and second Sunday of each month, young people and families in Boston can visit all of these cultural institutions for free:
@boschildmuseum.bsky.social
Franklin Park Zoo
Institute of Contemporary Art
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
@jfklibraryfdn.bsky.social
MassArt Art Museum
Celebrating labor leader and activist Dolores Huerta on her 96th birthday. In 2009, she spoke with civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman at the JFK Library on poverty and social justice challenges that face the nation.
jfklibrary.org/PovertyAndSocialJusticeChallenges
Mrs. Kennedy, wearing a white mantilla and gloves, and light pink sleeveless dress, holds JFK Jr.'s hand. President Kennedy, in a dark suit, holds Caroline's hand. They stand in front of a private chapel covered in greenery.
Happy Easter to those celebrating! In 1963, the Kennedy family attended Easter mass in a private chapel at the Palm Beach house belonging to JFK's father.
Details on Mrs. Kennedy's dress - designed by Oleg Cassini - can be seen here: jfk.artifacts.archives.gov/objects/3783/mauve-day-d...
Today we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
At a #JFKForum in 2011, Harry Belafonte, who was a friend of the civil rights leader, spoke about Dr. King’s moral power.
Artemis II is the most diverse crew to go to the Moon, but the push for better representation in space goes back decades. Learn about some of the people who argued that more American communities should be a part of the space race.
jfk.blogs.archives.gov/2019/06/12/representation-in-the-space-race/
Before a crowd of 35,000 people at Rice University, President Kennedy declared, "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
Congrats to NASA and the #ArtemisII team for a successful launch!
Press release from the White House, dated February 5, 1962, that reads in part: The President today signed a Proclamation allowing a limited quantity of wheat flour produced in Israel to enter the United States. In the absence of such a proclamation, Orthodox Jews would have been unable to observe the Passover holiday in accordance with their traditional rituals. During Passover, Jews substitute matzoh for bread, and it plays an important part in Passover ceremonies... It is important that the flour should not become wet before it is actually mixed preparatory to baking. This year all the wheat-growing areas of the nation had rain during the harvest season. For the first time the rabbinical emissaries who sought to supervise the preparation of the flour found that they could not testify that any wheat had remained dry. The only place in the world where wheat that met the ritual specifications was available was in Israel.
Due to a wheat flour shortage in the US, JFK authorized the importation of flour from Israel before #Passover in 1962 to make matzoh. We wish a happy and peaceful Passover to all those celebrating!
www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/jf...
Grant funding is provided by the JFK Library Foundation, The ‘Quin Impact Fund, and the Earthshot Legacy Partners to the award winners to accelerate the development and scale of these solutions.
Find out more: jfklibrary.org/JFKEarthshot
The JFK Library Foundation, in partnership with The ‘Quin Impact Fund and The Earthshot Prize, will award up to $100K for Northeast-based solutions to help repair our planet.
The quote "Not because they are easy, but because they are hard" in a graphic featuring JFK speaking at a rostrum.
Inspired by President Kennedy’s Moonshot speech, the Earthshot Innovation Challenge: Northeast U.S. Edition is seeking innovative solutions to address climate change. Submit your application today!
March 31, 1963: Caroline Kennedy’s pony Macaroni got some new gear. Jacqueline Kennedy and Camp David outfitted him with a saddle gifted from King Hassan II of Morocco.
See the saddle in person in the special exhibit Presidential Pets, open through April 26.
