Following a night of heavy snow, a bitterly cold wind swept through the capital on the day John F. Kennedy (1917- 1963; see entry in volume 5) was inaugurated as the nation's thirty-fifth president. The oath of office was administered by Supreme Court chief justice Earl Warren (1891-1974); close to three years later, Justice Warren would head a commission investigating the assassination of President Kennedy.

Among the most memorable of inaugural addresses, Kennedy's set the tone for his administration by placing the United States firmly in the position as a world leader pursuing the highest ideals. That position also assumes the burden of living up to those ideals. To achieve that, Kennedy placed responsibility on each American citizen: "Ask not what your country can do for you," he implored his fellow citizens, "ask what you can do for your country."

That phrase was among several memorable...