On the second night of the convention, after Kennedy addresses a prime-time audience, he will head to Boston's Symphony Hall for a tribute headlined by U2's Bono, composer and former Boston Pops conductor John Williams and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

It was on July 25, 1969, that the 37-year-old Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the accident that killed Kopechne, a 28-year-old former aide to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Ted's older brother.

The crash took place a week earlier when Kennedy was driving Kopechne back from a raucous party on Chappaquiddick Island. The senator drove the car off a bridge and into a pond, escaping without serious injuries but unable to save Kopechne.

Even though questions still remain 35 years later about the circumstances of the crash, Kennedy survived the ordeal politically, retaining his Senate seat and even making a run for the presidency in 1980.

'Corruption, Incompetence, Fear'

"Between corruption, incompetence, fear, and blind loyalty to a moneyed factotum, justice was shrugged off," wrote Leo Damore in his book "Senatorial Priviledge." "Reading the events surrounding that day gives the impression that they happened in some other country where normal U.S. laws and ethics don't apply."

In the nationally broadcast address from the home of his father, Joe, on July 25, 1969, Kennedy denied that he was under the influence of alcohol. He explained his timeline of events. Kennedy's story didn't exactly correspond with other accounts of that evening.

Admittedly 'Indefensible'

"I do not seek to escape responsibility for my actions by placing the blame either on the physical and emotional trauma brought on by the accident, or anyone else," Kennedy said after pleading guilty to leaving the scene. "I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately."

Kennedy's explanation cast a shadow over his presidential aspirations, especially because evidence existed that suggested Kopechne could have been saved if the incident had been reported to police.

Even in 2004, Republicans continue to hint at the events of Chappaquiddick. Last month, Kennedy's son Patrick, a Democrat congressman from Rhode Island, engaged in a brief tiff with Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who muttered during a House committee meeting that "maybe we should check into Chappaquiddick."

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