Uncover the dark side of “America’s royal family” with these facts about the Kennedy family.
Rose Kennedy. Copyright John F. Kennedy Library Foundation found in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. Scanned from the original 1″ x 1 1/2″ nitrate negative. Scanned by CTR on DAMS 2B. Copyright John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Credit: JFK Library Foundation
Today, nearly eight decades after they first entered politics, the Kennedys remain one of the most fascinating and captivating families in American history. And as much as they made their mark in the world of politics, it’s perhaps their personal lives that continue to fascinate and captivate us most to this day.
Whether it’s the impossibly glamorous pairing of John and Jackie or the rags-to-riches story of his father Joe, the Kennedys’ storybook lives have dazzled Americans for decades.
But though they lived the life of affluence, privilege, and status, the Kennedys have of course suffered more than their fair share of calamity, due to both their own misdeeds and tragic circumstances beyond their control. Given the many accidental deaths, suicides, murders, and assassinations that this one family has endured, it’s easy to see why the phrase “the Kennedy curse” is part of the American lexicon.
At the same time, much of the tragedy that follows this family has sprung from their own misconduct. Many of the Kennedy men, for example, have been responsible for the serious injuries and deaths of the women in their lives. There’s the brutal murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley in 1975, the drowning death of Mary Jo Kopechne in 1969, and the crash that left Pam Kelley paralyzed in 1973 — and that’s just one six-year period.
Yet despite the fact that the Kennedy men have admitted their involvement in these injuries and deaths, and even been convicted in courts of law, many of these powerful, rich, and entitled figures have faced only minimal consequences for their crimes.
As the Kennedy family nephew who killed Martha Moxley reportedly told one witness, “I’m going to get away with murder. I’m a Kennedy.”
And while that nephew did actually get away with murder for more than a quarter of a century, he was finally convicted. Likewise, many of the Kennedy family’s deepest, darkest secrets have eventually come to light. See some of the ugliest in the gallery above.
Following that incident, a furious Jackie met with her father-in-law, who offered her $1 million to keep things quiet and stay in the marriage, thus not harming John’s presidential chances. Jackie responded that she’d want $20 million if John “brings home any venereal disease from any of his sluts.”
When John F. Kennedy’s mother, Rose, was giving birth to her daughter, Rosemary (third from right), the doctor wasn’t available right away. The attending nurse instructed Rose to keep her legs closed and the baby inside until the doctor arrived. Rosemary’s head stayed inside the birth canal for two hours, depriving her of oxygen and leaving her mentally disabled for life.
