A 1999 examination bySnopes found that the listed "coincidences are easily explained as the simple product of mere chance."[5] In 1992, theSkeptical Inquirer ran a "Spooky Presidential Coincidences Contest." One winner found a series of sixteen similar coincidences between Kennedy and formerMexican presidentÁlvaro Obregón. Another winner came up with similar lists for twenty-one pairs of U.S. presidents.[6] For example, there were 13 similarities found betweenThomas Jefferson andAndrew Jackson.[7]
Both of the presidents' successors wereDemocrats named Johnson (Andrew andLyndon) with six-letter first names and born in '08.[5]
Both Lincoln and Kennedy were particularly concerned withcivil rights[5] and made their views strongly known.
Both presidents were shot in the head on a Friday and in the presence of their wives.[5]
Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy who told him not to go to Ford's Theatre. Kennedy had a secretary namedEvelyn Lincoln and she warned him not to go toDallas.[5]
Both Oswald and Booth were killed before they could be put on trial.[5]
Both married in their 30s to women who were in their 20s:
Lincoln was married on November 4, 1842.[19][20] Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809,[16][9] making him 33 years old at the time of his wedding. Lincoln's bride,Mary Anne Todd, was born on December 13, 1818,[21][22] making her 23 years old at the time of the wedding.
Kennedy was married on September 12, 1953.[23][24] Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917,[23][11] making him 36 years old at the time of his wedding. Kennedy's bride,Jacqueline Bouvier, was born on July 28, 1929,[25][26] making her 24 years old at the time of the wedding.
Both were shot on a Friday: Lincoln was shot onGood Friday, April 14, 1865,[16][27] and Kennedy was shot on Friday, November 22, 1963.[28][29]
Both were shot in the head. (Lincoln[30][31] and Kennedy[28][32]).
Both had security agents named William who each died within 48 hours of attaining the age of 75 years, 5 months: Lincoln's bodyguard,William H. Crook, was born October 15, 1839, and died March 13, 1915. Kennedy's secret service agent,William Greer, was born September 22, 1909, and died February 23, 1985.
Both were succeeded by Southerners: Andrew Johnson was fromTennessee,[34] and Lyndon B. Johnson was fromTexas.[35][36]
Both successors were born in '08: Andrew Johnson was born December 29, 1808,[37][34] and Lyndon B. Johnson was born August 27, 1908.[35][36]
Both assassins, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, are known by their three names, although this is common for many notorious assassins who are covered by the press. This is routinely done by the press to avoid tarnishing the reputations of people with similar names (there are many John Booths and Lee Oswalds).[38]
Both assassins' full names have exactly fifteen letters.
Booth and Oswald were killed before their trials and within the same month as the assassination.
On April 26, 1865, after refusing to surrender, John Wilkes Booth was shot by SergeantBoston Corbett.[39][40]
On November 24, 1963, on his way to the county jail, Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by night club ownerJack Ruby.[41][42]
Although President Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln,[43] President Lincoln did not have a secretary named Kennedy. Lincoln's secretaries wereJohn G. Nicolay andJohn M. Hay.[5]
Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse, and Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater:
Oswald fled from theTexas School Book Depository, which was a warehouse where Oswald worked and from where he had shot Kennedy. Oswald was arrested in a movie theater.[32][42]
Both assassins were born in '39:
Oswald was born in 1939, but Booth was born in 1838.[46]
Both presidents were assassinated by Southerners:
Oswald was born inNew Orleans, but Booth, a Confederate/Southern sympathizer, was born inMaryland, a Union state.[47]
Some urban folklorists have postulated that the list provided a way for people to make sense of two tragic events in American history by seeking out patterns.[5][48] Gardner and others have said that it is relatively easy to find seemingly meaningful patterns relating any two people or events. The psychological phenomenon ofapophenia – defined as "the tendency to perceive order in random configurations" – has been proposed as a possible reason for the lists' enduring popularity.[4]
Most of the items listed above are true, such as the year in which Lincoln and Kennedy were each elected president, but this is not so unusual given that presidential elections are held only every four years. A few of the items are simply untrue: for example, Lincoln never had a secretary named Kennedy; Lincoln's secretaries wereJohn Hay andJohn G. Nicolay.[5] However, Lincoln's footman,William H. Crook, did advise Lincoln not to go that night to Ford's Theatre.[49][50] David Mikkelson ofSnopes points out many ways in which Lincoln and Kennedy do not match, to show the superficial nature of the alleged coincidences: For example, Lincoln was born in 1809 but Kennedy in 1917. Lincoln and Kennedy were both elected in '60, but Lincoln was already in his second term when he was assassinated; Kennedy was not. Also, neither the years, months, nor dates of their assassinations match. Although both were shot on Fridays, Lincoln did not die from his injuries until Saturday.[5]
Buddy Starcher wrote a song, "History Repeats Itself," recounting many of these coincidences and parallels between the two presidents' careers and deaths. The song became anAmerican Top 40 hit during the spring of 1966,[51] and reached number two on theCountry chart.Cab Calloway also scored a minor chart hit with the song that same year.
^The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix ByMartin Gardner. 1985.Prometheus Books. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 84-43183,ISBN0-87975-281-5 (cloth), 0-87975-282-3 (paper) (This was previously titledThe Numerology of Dr. Matrix. It contains all ofThe Incredible Dr. Matrix plus four more chapters.)
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