Lincoln Kennedy coincidences
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The Lincoln Kennedy coincidences is a piece of American folklore of unknown origin related to perceived similarities in the presidencies and assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. The list appeared in the mainstream American press in 1964, in the wake of the 1963 Kennedy Assassination, having appeared prior to that in the G.O.P. Congressional Committee Newsletter.[1][2] Martin Gardner debunked much of the list in an article in Scientific American, later reprinted in his book, The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix.[3] Gardner's version of the list contained 16 items; many subsequent versions have circulated having much longer lists. The list is still in circulation today, having endured in the popular imagination for over 40 years. A more recent debunking of the list is available online at Snopes, a website dedicated to examining urban legends.[4]
In 1992, the Skeptical Inquirer ran a "Spooky Presidential Coincidences Contest". One winner found a series of sixteen similar coincidences between Kennedy and former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón, while the other came up with similar lists for twenty-one pairs of US Presidents.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ A Compendium of Curious Coincidences, TIME, Aug 21, 1964
- ^ Newsweek, Aug 10, 1964
- ^ The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix By Martin Gardner. 1985. Prometheus Books. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 84-43183, ISBN 0-87975-281-5 (cloth), 0-87975-282-3 (paper) (This was previously titled The Numerology of Dr. Matrix. It contains all of The Incredible Dr. Matrix, plus four more chapters.)
- ^ snopes.com: Lincoln and Kennedy Coincidences
- ^ Coincidences: Remarkable or Random?
