To this day, Jackie Kennedy Onassis is still one of the most fascinating first ladies. While she is widely known for her romance with John F. Kennedy and her impeccable style, there is so much more to the former FLOTUS than meets the eye. Did you know that she was a successful reporter and photographer and covered Queen Elizabeth II's coronation? Or that she was engaged to someone else before meeting JFK? See even more fascinating facts about the US icon ahead.
I Want More! Get our Celebrity & Entertainment newsletter by tapping the button below. Instant Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms & to receive emails from POPSUGAR.1. She Was the First FLOTUS Born in the 20th Century
Jackie was born on July 28, 1929, in Southampton, NY, making her the first first lady to be born in the 20th century.
2. She Was a Talented Equestrienne
Jackie was only 1 when her mother got her into horseback riding. By the time she was 11, she had already won multiple championships and was even featured in The New York Times for her accomplishments.
3. She Studied French in College
After graduating high school, Jackie attended Vassar College in New York, where she studied history, literature, art, and French. She spent her junior year studying abroad in Paris before transferring to George Washington University for her senior year, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature in 1951.
4. She Spoke Multiple Languages
In addition to studying French in college, Jackie was also fluent in Spanish and Italian.
5. Her Younger Sister Was Polish Royalty
Jackie's younger sister Lee Radziwill, whose birth name is Caroline Lee Bouvier, was married to Polish aristocrat Prince Stanislaw Albrecht Radziwill from 1959 to 1974. During their marriage, she was given the official title of Her Serene Highness Princess Stanislaw Albrecht Radziwill. Jackie also had two half-siblings, Janet and James Auchincloss, through her mother's second marriage to Hugh D. Auchincloss.
6. She Was a Reporter and Photographer
Jackie had a successful career as a reporter and photographer for the Washington Times-Herald before becoming the first lady. She was known as the "inquiring photographer," as she interviewed local citizens about everything from politics to relationships. During her time at the publication, she interviewed JFK's future presidential opponent Richard Nixon.
7. She Covered Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation
Before becoming the first lady, Jackie served as a journalist for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on June 2, 1953. Jackie and JFK later met the queen and Prince Philip during an official visit at Buckingham Palace in June 1961.
8. She Was Engaged to Someone Else Before Meeting JFK
When she was 22, Jackie was briefly engaged to a Wall Street banker named John Husted. After three months, she called off the engagement in March 1952 because she was reportedly hesitant about becoming a housewife. She started dating JFK shortly after.
9. She Met JFK Through a Mutual Friend
The famous couple met through their mutual friend journalist Charles L. Bartlett at a dinner party in May 1952. They tied the knot a year later on Sept. 12, 1953, at St. Mary's Church in Newport, RI.
10. She Was Only 31 When She Became First Lady
When JFK took office in January 1961, Jackie was only 31 years old. Though she was incredibly young when she took on the position, she was actually the third-youngest first lady. Frances Folsom Cleveland, who married President Grover Cleveland in June 1886, was the youngest at age 21.
11. She Suffered Multiple Tragedies While Growing Her Family
Jackie suffered a miscarriage in 1955, followed by the birth of a stillborn baby girl in 1956 who was reportedly going to be named Arabella. After giving birth to her daughter Caroline Kennedy in 1957 and her son John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1960, Jackie gave birth to her third child, Patrick Kennedy, prematurely on Aug. 7, 1963. He lived for just over 39 hours before passing away on Aug. 9. Patrick and Arabella are buried alongside JFK at Arlington National Cemetery.
12. She Opened a School in the White House
Jackie went to extreme measures to keep her children out of the spotlight when they were living in the White House. Due to safety concerns, she eventually turned the White House's third floor solarium into a nursery school for her kids as well a few children from the Kennedy administration staff.
13. She Helped Restore the White House
During her time as first lady, Jackie worked hard to restore the White House's historical character. In addition to initiating a congressional bill that deemed all White House furnishing would be property of the Smithsonian Institution, she also established the White House Historical Association, the Committee For the Preservation of the White House, the position of a permanent curator of the White House, the White House Endowment Trust, and the White House Acquisition Trust.
14. She Won an Emmy
Following the White House's renovations, Jackie hosted a televised tour of the White House with Charles Collingwood of CBS News. The film was watched by 56 million television viewers in the United States and eventually earned her a special Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Trustees Award at the Emmys in 1962.
15. She Was a Book Editor
After the death of her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, in 1975, Jackie pursued a career as a book editor. She started off as a a consulting editor at Viking Press before taking a position as a senior editor at Doubleday, where she worked until her death in 1994.
