Why many attribute a series of tragic events to the ‘Kennedy curse’ within one of America’s most prominent families

There is a popular belief in a ‘Kennedy curse’ that has supposedly affected one of America’s most renowned families.

The Kennedy family is often regarded as America’s foremost political dynasty, yet they have experienced numerous tragic events over the years.

From devastating illnesses to plane crashes, car accidents, assassinations, and more, the family has faced untimely and grisly deaths that seem almost cinematic, leading to the theory of a so-called ‘Kennedy curse.’

Ted Kennedy, the youngest of Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald’s nine children, and brother to JFK, once questioned if “some awful curse did actually hang over the Kennedy’s” after experiencing a car accident and the untimely deaths of four of his siblings by 1969.

Here are several incidents that some attribute to this Kennedy ‘curse.’

Rose, born in 1918, was thought to have suffered from oxygen deprivation at birth, hindering her developmental milestones.

At 23, her father subjected her to a new, experimental procedure, a lobotomy, in 1941, which went disastrously awry.

Rosemary emerged with the intellectual capacity of a two-year-old, unable to walk or talk, and spent most of her life in institutions until her death at 86 in January 2005.

The eldest Kennedy sibling, Joe, ventured into politics before World War II erupted.

He joined the US Naval Reserve in June 1941 but tragically died during a top-secret bombing mission to Europe, codenamed Anvil, in August 1944, when an explosive his jet carried detonated prematurely.

Joe was 29 and posthumously received the Navy Cross for his valor.

Kathleen, affectionately known as Kick, faced her own share of misfortunes.

During her time in the UK, she fell in love with Lord William Hartington, marrying him in May 1944 against her father’s wishes.

Her brother Joe was the only family member present at the wedding, serving in Britain at the time.

Joe died three months after the marriage, and Kathleen’s husband soon followed.

Hartington was killed by a sniper while serving in Belgium, just four months after their wedding.

In 1948, four years later, Kick perished in a plane crash.

She was en route to Paris to gain her father’s approval of her new partner, the 8th Earl Fitzwilliam, who also died in the accident.

In August 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy, JFK’s wife, gave birth to a son named Patrick.

The newborn tragically lived only 39 hours due to premature birth complications and hyaline membrane disease.

JFK and Jacqueline had previously faced a miscarriage and a stillbirth before Patrick’s death.

JFK was assassinated three months after Patrick’s demise.

Before becoming the 35th President of the United States, JFK dealt with chronic health issues and a childhood football injury that led to a lifelong back problem.

Despite being medically disqualified from the US Army in 1940, he joined the US Naval Reserve and re-injured his back in a 1943 patrol torpedo boat accident, heroically saving a crewman’s life.

The most infamous Kennedy tragedy occurred on November 22, 1963, when JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, at 46.

The seventh Kennedy child, Robert, entered politics in the 1960s, serving as attorney general from 1961 to 1964 and later as a US senator for New York.

RFK emerged as a leading Democratic presidential nominee in 1968, hoping to follow his brother’s path.

Tragically, after winning the California primary in June, he was assassinated.

Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy also pursued a political career, serving as a senator from 1962 until his death in 2009.

Though he passed away from a brain tumor at 77, two weeks after his sister Eunice’s death, Ted was involved in a notorious incident where he survived.

In July 1969, Ted left a party on Chappaquiddick Island with Mary Jo Kopechne. He reportedly lost control of the car, and both plunged into the water.

Ted swam to safety but reported the incident to authorities the next morning. By then, 28-year-old Kopechne’s body was discovered.

Ted received a two-month suspended sentence for leaving the accident scene and lost his driving privileges for 16 months.

The Chappaquiddick Incident tarnished his reputation and his presidential aspirations.

Ted’s son, Edward Kennedy Jr., was born in 1961.

At 12, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, in his right leg.

After unsuccessful chemotherapy, doctors amputated his leg in 1973.

Though alive today and working as a New York City attorney, the ‘Kennedy curse’ seems to linger.

Ted Jr. narrowly missed boarding Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed into the Potomac River, killing 74 people.