Though one of America's wealthiest men, Joseph Kennedy often lectured his family about their extravagance. One evening at dinner, having received a new batch of bills, the senior Kennedy unleashed a barrage of criticsm, causing Ethel (Bobby Kennedy's wife) to flee from the room.

Only after much soothing and cajoling from Bobby did she finally agree to return to the table. Father and son then confronted one another and an ominous silence followed. At last John, endeavoring to break the tension, shrugged his shoulders and turned to Bobby: "We've found the solution," he declared. "Dad's just got to go out and make more money!"

[When JFK ran for presidential office, estimates of the family fortune ranged between $300 million and $500 million. "I never felt the Great Depression firsthand," he declared while campaigning in 1960. "I learned about it at Harvard."]