Jacqueline Kennedy:
In Her Own Words
Jacqueline Kennedy's style, elegance and courage helped to define an era, but she never spoke publicly about her White House years. Four months after her husband's death, she recorded a series of interviews for history, specifying the tapes not be released until the appropriate time. Now, nearly 50 years later, Kennedy's tapes have been released to the public in a new book and audio set. Watch Diane Sawyer's ABC News special and use this interactive timeline to experience Jacqueline Kennedy's life in her own words.
Click on the years above to explore her story.
  • 1952
  • 1953
  • 1954
  • 1957
  • 1958
  • 1960
    • 1961
    • 1962
      • 1963
      • 1964
      • 1954
      • 1960
      • 1961
      • 1962
      • 1963
      • 1964

      Entry Number: 140
      Entry Category: New Approaches: Documentaries
      Title of Broadcast/Webcast: ABC News Digital
      Title of Story or Report: Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words
      Running Time: NA
      Production Company: ABC News Digital
      Date content was originally aired / available for viewing (must be 2011): September 5, 2011
      Original URL (if applicable): http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Jacqueline_Kennedy/
      Additional Material: NA
      Essay: Jacqueline Kennedy's style, elegance, and grace defined an era though the elusive first lady never spoke publicly about her White House years.

      But the 34-year-old widow – unbeknownst to all but her family, and only four months after President John F. Kennedy's assassination -- sat for seven in-depth conversations with family friend and historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

      Those 8 hours – discussions of the Inauguration, Cuban Missile Crisis, her husband's last days, the fateful trip to Dallas, and candid revelations about her opinions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon B. Johnson – were strictly sealed.

      A half a century later, ABC News opened the vault.

      The content was compelling. The challenge: how to bring a digital-age audience into a story 50 years in the making.

      ABC News Digital turned to interactive storytelling, harnessing the rich trove of our video archives to bring the audience back in time. Our team used photos, videos, and audio – matching Jacqueline Kennedy's never-before-heard words – with the moments people only thought they knew.

      The result is a powerful, candid, and entirely unique portrayal of a story that has never been told quite like this: over forty videos (12 of them exclusive), a timeline of events from 1952-1964, and a social campaign inviting users to share their memories.

      The impact was dynamic: 1.5 million story views, 500,000 video views, 8.4 million total viewers, and the accompanying book, "Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy", rocketed onto the New York Times bestseller list.

      More critical than the stats, our dedicated team combined what ABC News does best – high-quality video content – with a visually compelling, user-friendly experience.

      We sought to bring the traditional broadcast viewer and web user into the story – immersing them in a novel and innovative approach to digital storytelling.

      ABC News Digital asks you to judge "Jacqueline Kennedy: In Her Own Words" for a 33rd Annual Emmy Award in the category of New Approaches: Documentaries and sincerely thanks you for your consideration.