50 Chilling Coincidences Between Lincoln and Kennedy
- Jun 15, 2016
- 2 min read
For years, people have speculated about the coincidences between the 16th and 35th presidents, and you may have heard of some of these in the past. However, we have compiled a list of 50 different coincidences for you to review and decide how uncanny they are in comparison to each other.
We didn't include all 50 coincidences in our blog post for this podcast episode, but we've now included them here. They may not be in the same order as the podcast, but we have 50 of them listed.
Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Lincoln was elected president in 1860.
Kennedy was elected president in 1960.
Both were concerned with civil rights issues.
Both were shot on a Friday.
Both were shot in the head.
Both were assassinated in the presence of their wives.
Both were succeeded by Southern Democrats.
Both successors were named Johnson.
Lincoln was succeeded by Andrew Johnson.
Kennedy was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson.
Andrew Johnson was born in 1808.
Lyndon B. Johnson was born in 1908.
Both Johnsons served in the U.S. Senate before becoming president.
Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Booth was born in 1838.
Oswald was born in 1939 (often cited as 100 years apart, though technically 101).
Both assassins were known by three names.
Both names contain 15 letters.
Both assassins were Southern-born.
Both assassins were killed before standing trial.
Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and fled to a warehouse.
After shooting Kennedy from a warehouse, Oswald was apprehended in a theatre.
Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy (often cited; historical evidence is debated).
Kennedy had a secretary named Evelyn Lincoln.
Lincoln was warned not to go to Ford’s Theatre.
Kennedy was warned not to go to Dallas.
Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre.
Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln Continental manufactured by Ford.
Lincoln was shot in a theater named Ford.
Kennedy was shot in a car made by Ford.
Both events shocked the nation during times of deep political division.
Both presidents had four children (though not all survived to adulthood).
Lincoln lost a son while in office.
Kennedy lost a child shortly after birth while in office.
Both wives lost children.
Both presidents suffered from chronic health problems.
Both presidents had vice presidents named Johnson from the South.
The assassinations were exactly 100 years apart (1865 and 1963 are 98 years apart, but the elections were 100 years apart—often cited in popular lists).
Both men were particularly focused on preserving national unity.
Both presidents were deeply involved in major national crises (the Civil War and the Cold War).
Both were succeeded by men who struggled with the legacy they inherited.
Both funerals were nationally televised or widely covered (Lincoln via telegraph-era media; Kennedy on live television).
Lincoln had a friend named Kennedy (debated).
Kennedy had a friend named Lincoln (less documented).
Booth fled a theater and was found in a barn.
Oswald shot from a building and was later shot in police custody.
Both assassinations generated long-lasting conspiracy theories.
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