John F. Kennedy

About John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) remains a highly ranked figure in historical importance, placing at #328 in MIT's Pantheon index due to his profound, if relatively brief, influence as the 35th President of the United States. His tenure was defined by pivotal moments of the Cold War, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the initiation of major domestic policy shifts and the commitment to landing a man on the Moon. His assassination in 1963 cemented his image in the historical consciousness, leading to his high placement relative to many long-reigning monarchs or less globally focused leaders.

The internet's attention, however, suggests a more complex relationship with his legacy. Kennedy garnered 7.1 million annualized Wikipedia pageviews in 2025, indicating significant modern interest. When compared against peers, this translates to an "Attention Gap" of +17x, signifying a level of online visibility far exceeding his standing among all historical figures. For context, this level of attention is comparable to that of Joe Biden (#329 importance, 10.6M views), yet substantially overshadows highly ranked foundational figures like Galileo Galilei (#21 importance, 1.6M views).

Despite the overall high attention, the data also points to a dynamic but potentially cooling interest. Kennedy's pageviews saw a significant year-over-year decline of -15.5%, and his quarterly momentum dropped by -26% between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, suggesting that while he remains a major topic, the sustained surge of immediate curiosity may be waning compared to previous periods.