It is difficult to say exactly how many people may have heard President Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address, but it is estimated that the number could be in the hundreds of millions.
On the day of the inauguration, there were an estimated 1 million people gathered in Washington, D.C. to hear Kennedy speak. The speech was also broadcast live on radio and television, and it is estimated that over 90% of American households tuned in. In addition, the speech was also broadcast on shortwave radio around the world, and it is likely that millions of people in other countries also heard it.
Since then, the speech has been replayed and quoted countless times, and it is one of the most famous and iconic speeches in American history. It is therefore likely that billions of people have heard or read President Kennedy's inaugural address over the past 60 years.
Here are some specific estimates of how many people may have heard the speech:
According to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, an estimated 77 million Americans watched the speech on television.
According to the National Archives, an estimated 100 million Americans listened to the speech on radio.
According to the BBC, an estimated 70 million people around the world listened to the speech on shortwave radio.
It is important to note that these are just estimates, and it is impossible to know for sure how many people actually heard the speech. However, it is clear that President Kennedy's inaugural address was a major event that was heard by millions of people around the world.
