The Zapruder film frame that gave its creator nightmares
Abraham Zapruder's 26-second home movie captured JFK's assassination in Dealey Plaza, but one specific frame haunted him for the rest of his life.
Abraham Zapruder filmed a 26-second home movie that would become the most analyzed piece of footage in American history. His camera captured President John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dealey Plaza.
Every frame of the film showed what happened during those fatal moments. The footage provided a visual record that investigators and the public would scrutinize for decades.
The frame that haunted Zapruder
One image from the film gave Zapruder nightmares. Frame 313 showed the fatal shot hitting Kennedy. The graphic nature of that single frame stayed with Zapruder long after he stopped rolling film.
Life magazine's decision
Life magazine published stills from the Zapruder film, allowing the public to see the sequence of events. However, the magazine made a deliberate choice to withhold Frame 313 from publication. The editors recognized the disturbing nature of that particular image and kept it from their readers.
