The Olympic torch at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was lit Friday in memory of President John F. Kennedy -- one of many events around in the country to mark 50 years since his assassination.
Full Coverage: JFK50 | Motorcade Route | JFK's Texas Trip
Kennedy spoke at the venue, site of two Olympic Games, in Exposition Park when he accepted his 
party's nomination at the 1960 Democratic National Convention. He was assassinated three years later in Dallas.
The torch high above the Coliseum atop the arch was lit at 12:01 a.m. It will remain lit for 24 hours during a national day of remembrance for Kennedy.
Kennedy's July 15, 1960 speech at the Coliseum became known as "The New Frontier" speech. Then-Sen. Kennedy said, "The New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises -- it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them."
Transcript: "The New Frontier" Speech
President Barack Obama ordered flags lowered to half-staff. Thousands will be in Dallas' Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was shot as his motorcade passed, for a remembrance ceremony.
The Coliseum, home field for the USC Trojans football team since it opened in 1923, has played host to two Olympics, two Super Bowls and a World Series.
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Photo Credit: JFK Presidential Library