The tragic death of John F. Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963 remains one of the saddest days in American history. Now, an important artifact from that fateful day is being presented to the public for the first time: The log that flew off of the logging truck in JFK’s motorcade and into his head after he had an eerily similar dream is coming to the Smithsonian.
Wow. Every American needs to make the pilgrimage to Washington, DC to see this key piece of US history.
The new exhibit, which opens next week, will walk museum visitors from the lead-up to JFK’s decapitation by log to the aftermath of his untimely death. The presentation begins with a short film showing a dramatization in which JFK wakes up in a cold sweat and explains to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis that he’s just dreamt that a log flew off of a logging truck and straight into his head, after which the First Lady comforts him, telling him it was only a dream and that he should go back to sleep. From there, visitors will enter a miniature Dealey Plaza complete with a scale model of JFK’s convertible and the logging truck stacked with poorly secured logs that was driving right in front of him. Visitors will follow the convertible and logging truck into a dark room where the actual 6,700 pound log, covered in dried blood, sits under a single dim spotlight.
After spending a moment in silence gazing at the impressive red oak log that cut the 35th President’s life tragically short, museum-goers with strong stomachs can choose to enter a room where they can view the legendary Zapruder film, whose resolution is enhanced using modern technology to the point that you can actually see JFK’s lips mouthing, “I dreamt this happened!” just as the log bounces out of the back of the logging truck and straight into his face. From there, the lesson on this dark chapter in political history concludes in a room whose walls are covered with the text of the Presidential Protection Act of 1964, which prohibits logging trucks from driving in Presidential motorcades unless their logs are properly secured and stipulates the U.S. government’s duty to, “take all Presidents’ prophetic dreams seriously, no matter how crazy and unusual they may seem.”
Incredible. Anyone with even a casual interest in American history has got to see this.
It’s not every day that an artifact of this magnitude becomes available for public viewing, and we applaud the Smithsonian for their efforts in telling the story of the tragic end of JFK’s presidency and life with such care and detail. There is so much to be learned from this story about logs, weird-ass dreams, and the history of our great country, and it sounds like the Smithsonian absolutely nailed it. Bravo!
