It’s mind-blowing to think about how history seems to repeat itself sometimes. When you look at the details of the lives and deaths of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, the coincidences are almost eerie. These two American Presidents share a number of similarities that feel like they were pulled straight out of a script.
To start, both Lincoln and Kennedy were elected to Congress exactly 100 years apart. Lincoln joined Congress in 1846, while Kennedy did so in 1946. Similarly, they were elected President in 1860 and 1960, respectively. If that’s not enough to raise your eyebrows, consider that both of their last names contain exactly seven letters. You start to get the sense that these similarities aren’t just random flukes.
On a more personal note, both Presidents married stunning and socially prominent young women while in their thirties. Each wife was notably fluent in French. It’s a quirky little detail, but it does add another layer to the odd parallels between the two leaders. Also, heartbreakingly, both First Ladies lost a son while their husbands were in office.
The fatal attacks on both Presidents are so similar it’s almost creepy. Each was assassinated with a gunshot to the back of the head, on a Friday, right before a major holiday, while seated next to their wives. Imagine the shock and horror those moments must have caused. It’s details like these that make their similarities hard to shrug off.
Diving even deeper, the names of their assassins add another twist. John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald were both known by triple names, and the number of letters in each name is the same: 15. Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and then ran to a warehouse, while Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and then ran into a theater. Booth shot Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, and Kennedy was shot in a car known as a Ford Lincoln. It’s as if their lives were intertwined in a bizarre, cosmic way.
Another strange twist is their secretaries. Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy, and Kennedy’s secretary was named Lincoln. These little details just pile up and make you wonder if there’s something more at play here than mere coincidence.
When it comes to justice, things didn’t quite follow the normal path either. Both assassins met their end before they could be formally tried. It’s as if they were fated never to see a courtroom. Each vice president who stepped up to fill the void was a Southern Democrat named Johnson. Andrew Johnson took over for Lincoln and was born in 1808, while Lyndon Johnson took over for Kennedy and was born in 1908. Both Johnsons have 13 letters in their names. It’s so symmetrical, it’s almost unnerving.
History can be fascinating, especially with these eerie parallels. The Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences make for a great story and a great conversation starter. Sometimes, history gives us these strange patterns that make us question just how random events really are.
