All Those Weird Lincoln Kennedy Coincidences

Have a history teacher explain all those weird Abraham Lincoln-John F. Kennedy coincidences. Mr. Beat does.

Some supposed coincidences between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy:

1. Both men were elected to congress in ’46 (Lincoln in 1846, Kennedy in 1946)

2. Both men were elected to the presidency in ’60 (Lincoln in 1860, Kennedy in 1960)

3. Both men were concerned with civil rights (Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Kennedy proposed what became the Civil Rights Act)

4. Both men married in their 30s to women in their 20s

5. Both men lost a son while living in the White House

6. Both Presidents had 4 children (and both lost two before they reached their teens)

7. The doctors for Lincoln and Kennedy had the same name: Charles Taft

8. Lincoln’s private secretary was called John (John Nicolay), Kennedy’s private secretary was called Evelyn Lincoln.

9. Both men were shot on a Friday

10. Both men were shot in the head

11. Both men were shot in the presence of their wives

12. Lincoln was sitting in box number 7 of Ford’s Theatre when he was killed. Kennedy was riding in car number 7 in the cavalcade (in a Lincoln car made by the Ford Motor Company)

13. Both were assassinated by Southerners (John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald)

14. The law-enforcement officer who detained John Wilkes Booth was called Lafayette Baker, as was the man who detained Lee Harvey Oswald was Marrion L. Baker.

15. Both their presidential successors were named Johnson (Andrew Johnson and Lyndon B. Johnson)

16. Both men were succeeded by Southerners.

17. Both successors were born in ’08 (Andrew Johnson in 1808 and Lyndon Johnson in 1908)

18. Both assassins are known by three names (John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald)

19. Both assassins’ names have 15 letters

20. Booth ran from the theatre and was caught in a warehouse; Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theatre

21. Both assassins were themselves assassinated before their trials.

22. John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald were both originally thought to be lone-gunman but it was later discovered that they were part of a conspiracy.

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