How Kennedy Presidency Was Coined Camelot

James Swanson explained why the thousand-day presidency of John F. Kennedy is known as Camelot. INSIDE EDITION has the story.

The thousand-day presidency of John F. Kennedy is known to history as "Camelot."

But no one used that term while JFK was alive because the word was coined by Jackie Kennedy only after the assassination.

In an interview, James Swanson told INSIDE EDITION, "She created that myth singlehandedly."

How Jackie immortalized the Kennedy presidency as Camelot is told in the new book End of Days, the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, by bestselling author James Swanson.

Just a week after the assassination, Jackie offered an exclusive interview to Life magazine.  

Jackie revealed that every night the president would listen to a song from the musical Camelot, which was then a huge hit.

"For one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot," rang the song.

Jackie said, "It was just like that. It was Camelot. It was a brief shining moment!"

The story appeared in Life magazine under the headline For President Kennedy: An Epilogue. Jackie was quoted saying, "There'll be great presidents again, but there'll never be another Camelot."

The Kennedy presidency has been known as "Camelot" ever since.