On November 22, 1963, after President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot in Dallas, there was a haunting moment when Jacqueline Kennedy (Jackie) reached back and grabbed something from the car. This moment is one of the most iconic and tragic images of the assassination.
What Jackie Grabs:
Jackie Kennedy is believed to have grabbed part of her husband's skull and brain matter after he was shot in the head. The fatal shot caused part of President Kennedy’s skull to be blown off, and brain tissue was ejected from the wound. In the chaos of the motorcade, as the car sped away from the scene of the shooting, Jackie reached behind her, likely instinctively, and grabbed a piece of what had been ejected from her husband’s head.