Hey, Readers. Those of you who have read my blog for a while likely know of my fascination (that’s probably the wrong word to use) with JFK’s assassination. I still maintain that America lost some of its innocence that day, but that is another matter.
Of the forty-five men who have served in the role of president, four died of natural causes while in office – William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin Roosevelt. Four others were assassinated – Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. Today’s post deals with an urban legend about two of those men, Lincoln and Kennedy.
Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy (Public domain)
I first heard of the “strange coincidences” between the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy way before the internet was around. A newspaper article listed all the similarities between the two events. Recently, I remembered the article, so I decided to check its validity. Turns out some of the things are true.
- Both men were elected to congress in ’46. Lincoln in 1846, Kennedy in 1946.
- Both were elected to the office of president in ’60. Lincoln in 1860, Kennedy in 1960.
- Each man had seven letters in their last name.
- Both were concerned with civil rights. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Kennedy was the first to propose what would be the Civil Rights act of 1964.
- Both men married when they were in their thirties and their wives were in their twenties.
- Both were shot on a Friday. Lincoln on April 14, 1865, and Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
- Both men were succeeded in office by Southern democrats named Johnson.
- Their successors were both born in ’08. Andrew Johnson in 1808, and Lyndon Johnson in 1908.
- Both assassins are known by their full names, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. (This is not uncommon as the press often uses a full name to distinguish assassins from innocent people with the same name. Another example is John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman.)
- Speaking of the assassins, the total number of letters in each name is fifteen.
- Neither Booth nor Oswald lived long enough to go to trial. After refusing to surrender, John Wilkes Booth was killed by Sergent Boston Corbett. (There is a conspiracy theory regarding Booth, and I’ll write about that in a future post.) While being transferred to the county jail, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald in the basement of the Dallas City Jail.
(Both photos are my own.)
There are some false assumptions/rumors involving the assassinations. While Ford shot Lincoln in a theater and Oswald ran to a theater after shooting Kennedy from a warehouse, the opposite didn’t hold true. Booth didn’t run to a warehouse as it has often been said but was found in a barn. Also, Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy, but Kennedy’s secretaries were not named Lincoln.
Nonetheless, there are some interesting comparisons between these two dark times in American history.
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38 Responses
Yes, they are interesting coincidences. I don’t know how statistically significant they are. I was a newborn baby in Sweden at the time, so I never knew much about it until I moved to Dallas. However, I believe you are right. The US lost a lot of innocence when this happened. It was a huge tragedy. They have a museum at the old book depository here in Dallas, the sixth-floor museum. I’ve been there a few times.
I have a friend who arrived at the scene right after the assassination, he knew Jack Ruby, he was part of a band performing at his club, he also knew Mariana Oswald, and his girlfriend was the daughter of the police chief of Dallas, who kept (improperly) files on Lee Harvey Oswald at his home, and he and his girlfriend went through them. So, he has a lot of firsthand knowledge. I asked him what he thought about the various conspiracy theories. He told me he didn’t think there is anything to them and he said that Jack Ruby was a vain and impulsive attention seeker who very likely could have assassinated Oswald on his own.
Conspiracy theories abound with just about everything. Some people take them to the extreme. I’ve been to the Sixth Floor Museum. Very interesting place to visit.
Whoa, those are a lot of coincidences! Interesting, Joan!
They really are, Priscilla.
Those are definitely some strange coincidences and it’s easy to see how they can lead to some wild theories.
Most definitely, Jeanne!
I’ve seen thee comparisons before. There are so many. I wonder what the probability is for so many similarities. In the end, unless you’re talking prophecy (which we aren’t), I guess the statistics don’t matter. It’s kind of chilling, though.
Looking forward to the post on Booth. Thanks, Joan.
While these points are true, there are a lot of comparisons that aren’t. These are intriguing, however. Of course, anyone can take anything and make something out of it. Case in point, search for photos of the Supertramp album, Breakfast in America and 9/11 conspiracy. The album was released years before the attack on the World Trade Center, but someone naturally had to come up with something. 🙂
Those are strange coincidences! I hadn’t heard about them before.
I first read them years ago in a newspaper. There are a lot of “comparisons” that aren’t true, but these are a bit strange.
Oh, that’s right. There is the urban legend factor to consider in such cases.
These seem to me to be more than normal coincidences, Joan.
It sure seems that way, Denise.
I remember hearing about these similarities many years ago, though I didn’t know all of them. The coincidences are definitely eerie and both times are such dark moments in American history. Thanks for the post, Joan, and I look forward to the one on Booth.
They are eerie, Mae. I agree, both were dark times in our history.
All of these similarities can’t just be pure coincidence. Somehow the two men were joined together, although a hundred years apart. Just fascinating! Thanks for sharing, Joan.
There are too many similarities to discount they were joined somehow. Thanks, Jan.
The similarities are sure interesting. Makes you wonder if some planet changes signs every hundred years and causes mayhem. I wouldn’t run for office in 2060:)
Planet changes are an interesting idea, Judi. Something I hadn’t thought about.
I’m glad you cleared up a few myths, Joan. You are right. This subject is interesting in that conspiracies continue to flourish.
I don’t think we know the entire truth about the Kennedy assassination, but some of those conspiracy theories are too far out there! Thanks, John.
They are. 😁
You’re right, Joan. Both these tragic events are fascinating. I’ve read these similarities before but they never cease to amaze no matter how many times I read them.
I’m the same, Nancy. Hard to imagine.
That’s an awful lot of coincidences, Joan. Another one is that they are generally considered two of our better Presidents.
Yes, they were Pete. Both incidents were certainly sad times for our nation’s history.
I have always found these similarities fascinating. I read about them years ago as well. Thnaks for clearing some of them up too.
I find them fascinating as well, Darlene. Some I had believed were true turned out not to be but there are still a lot of them.
I’ve read about these coincidences before, but it never fails to give me chills. Some folks say there are no coincidences.
Coincidence or history closely repeating itself for sure. The similarities are strange to say the least.
Absolutely fascinating, Joan. I remember the time/day Kennedy was shot. Absolutely horrifying. The coincidences are amazing and thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing – I wasn’t aware of these findings until your post. 😊
I was five years old but remember it like yesterday. My Dad had gone into our local bank. I sat in the car (we could do that safely in those days). He came out and told me. It was a sad day in history.
These similarities have been around for a long time and I remember hearing most of them. Thought there are many similarities, there are distinct differences as well. Not sure why they want to tie these together, or if it matters. Neither deserved what happened and their murders changed the outcome of history.
That’s so true, Michele. The didn’t deserve to be murdered. I often wonder what I country would have been like had they lived.
Sorry I’m late to this one, Joan, but glad I finally made it. I had never read of these coincidences, and find them creepily fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
No problem, Marcia. I spend most of my time these days catching up. 🙂 I’ve long been fascinated by these “coincidences.”
That’s so interesting, Joan. Those are a lot of similarities. I’m inclined to chalk it up as a coincidence, but it is creepy. 🙂
Creepy it is, Diana. Certainly a lot of coincidences.