Over 50 Years After JFK’s Assassination, Conspiracy Theories Still Carry Weight

Joseph Jr. Is Killed And Everything Changes

On August 12, 1944, JFK’s older brother Joseph Kennedy Jr. was killed in World War II, and everything for the Kennedy family changed. A Navy pilot, Joseph Jr. was flying over the English channel when the bombs he was carrying in the plane defectively detonated and killed him during an air mission. Three years prior, JFK’s sister was permanently incapacitated due to a botched lobotomy. The “Kennedy Curse” had begun and the family pulled together to restructure their dynasty.

Joseph Jr.’s untimely death tapped JFK as the eldest of the children, and he readied himself for that role.