Discover Camelot: Top 16 Unbelievable Fun Facts About JFK's Life and Legacy

1. JFK's Secret WW2 Mission

Before Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible" days, JFK starred in his own high-stakes top secret adventure: During World War II, Kennedy volunteered for Project Aphrodite, a hazardous mission using outdated bombers loaded with explosives and directed by rudimentary autopilot technology to demolish German V-weapon complexes, tragically losing his life when his plane exploded mid-flight.
Source => airandspace.si.edu

2. Wallis Simpson's Football Crush

Before there were dating apps and blind dates, there was football expertise and summer camps: Wallis Simpson, the woman who would eventually shake up the British monarchy, first met her teenage crush, Lloyd Noland Tabb, at Glen Ora in 1912 when she was only 16. So smitten was she that Wallis tackled the art of football just to impress him and even took part in a sporting summer camp for girls – a trailblazing moment for what would later become the prestigious Foxcroft School in Middleburg.
Source => househistree.com

Did you know Franklin D. Roosevelt was a stamp-collecting enthusiast during his presidency? He even collaborated on designs and attended stamp shows! Discover his fascinating philatelic legacy that now resides in the National Postal Museum.📬💡

=> Fun Facts about Franklin-D-Roosevelt

3. JFK's Deadly Blood

If mosquitoes could talk, they'd probably complain about the taste of JFK's blood: His childhood was plagued by various diseases such as whooping cough, measles, and chickenpox, and he was even hospitalized for scarlet fever, leading to a family joke that mosquitoes biting him would meet their demise.
Source => jfklibrary.org

4. President Iron Man

JFK: the original Iron Man with a soft spot for back braces and anti-inflammatory medications. Behind the charismatic smile and chiseled jawline lurked a hidden medical marvel: Kennedy was a lifelong battler of agonizing pain, the result of a debilitating genetic autoimmune disease that plagued him with constant infections, joint pain, nausea, headaches, fevers, and diarrhea from infancy to his time in the Oval Office.
Source => practicalpainmanagement.com

5. JFK's Escape Room Leadership

Before he was calling meetings in the Situation Room, young JFK was orchestrating a real-life Escape Room adventure: During World War II, after his ship was sunk by the Japanese, he heroically led the surviving crew to safety.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. JFK Helps Green Bay Packers

In a rare Green Bay of pigs moment, JFK went from Commander-in-Chief to Playmaker-in-Chief: The 35th president of the United States intervened on behalf of the Packers in the 1961 NFL Championship game, granting star player Paul Hornung a leave from military duty and solidifying Lombardi's crew as Titletown titans after their epic win against the New York Giants.
Source => bleacherreport.com

7. Presidential Slumber Party

While some people count sheep to fall asleep, others get to catch some Z's in the most prestigious of slumber party locations: President John F. Kennedy once allowed his good friend, White House correspondent Ben Bradlee, to spend a cozy night in the Lincoln Bedroom, with JFK himself opting out of sleeping there during his presidency.
Source => sleepopolis.com

8. JFK, the Merman Hero

Before he was breaking hearts in the Oval Office, ol' Johnny Kennedy was chomping straps and saving lives like a valiant, injured merman: In World War II, JFK earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and bravery when a Japanese destroyer collided with his boat, PT-109, causing him debilitating injuries. Even so, he managed to lead his crew to safety and famously towed an injured crew member ashore with a strap gripped firmly between his teeth.
Source => jfklibrary.org

9. Holiest Political Tactic

Knocking on Heaven's Door with Vatican's approval: JFK's Catholic faith nearly derailed his presidential campaign, but after winning the West Virginia primary and splashing some holy water (and family wealth) around, he triumphed, though religious tensions still cost him some states in the election.
Source => jfklibrary.org

10. JFK: Gemini President

When the stars aligned and whispered "ask not what your zodiac can do for you, but what you can do for your zodiac": John F. Kennedy emerged as a witty, intelligent, and adaptable Gemini on May 29, 1917, ultimately becoming the youngest-ever elected POTUS, whose reign lasted from 1961 until that fateful day in 1963.
Source => tanstopics.com

11. Youngest Elected POTUS

They say 40 is the new 30, but JFK decided to one-up everyone by becoming President in his 40s: John F. Kennedy, at the tender age of 43, was the youngest person ever elected to the highest office in the United States, but Teddy Roosevelt still holds the "youngest President" title by snapping up the gig at age 42 after William McKinley's untimely assassination.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. JFK's True Signature Shades

If you've ever wanted to throw some shade, presidential style, then take a page out of JFK's book, not for the hair gel or the fancy cufflinks, but the cool sunnies: Contrary to popular assumption, Kennedy's go-to sunglasses were not Ray-Ban Wayfarers, but in fact, the American Optical Saratoga model, which he discovered during a visit to their factory in Massachusetts as a senator. With diamond-shaped rivets and slimmer arms, these shades have a distinct look, and can still be found among the Kennedy Library's collection, proving that the Wayfarer style was a subtle touch before the Ray-Ban hype.
Source => vintagecoolhunter.com

13. Thesis-turned-Bestseller

Lured by the siren call of college procrastination, JFK's thesis grew into a literary smash hit: Kennedy's "Why England Slept" started as an academic project until his father urged him to turn it into a book, ultimately selling 80,000 copies with foreword by Henry Luce, and even donating the British sales income to war-torn Plymouth.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

14. Thurgood Marshall Triumph

What do Thurgood Marshall and honey badgers have in common? They both don't care about opposition and fight to get things done: Thurgood Marshall, facing staunch opposition, was confirmed as the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967 after a grueling five-day Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, and went on to serve for 24 years, bringing justice to those who needed it most.
Source => jfklibrary.org

15. JFK: Naval Bumper Boats

Ahoy, Skipper Ken! Before he was captain of Camelot, JFK earned his sea legs doing battle royale in the naval arena: As a Lieutenant in the Navy, Kennedy commanded PT-109 and played an intense game of bumper boats with a Japanese destroyer in the Solomon Islands, sinking PT-109, losing two crew members, yet heroically leading survivors to safety, and securing himself a Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
Source => jfklibrary.org

16. JFK's Air Guitar Serenades

Hear ye, hear ye, gather 'round for a tale most melodious: it has been discovered that JFK was the proud owner of that rarest of instruments, the air guitar. Envision, if you will, a respite from the pressures of politics as our 35th president strummed away his cares on this crimson phantom-axe, serenading Khruschev with an impromptu tune: The truth of the matter is that John F. Kennedy owned a one-of-a-kind red solid-body electric Mustang air guitar, found nestled in its aged case within a cold storage unit years later, proving that even presidents need an outlet for their rhapsodies of solitude.
Source => hoaxes.org