10 Historical Coincidences So Unlikely They Sound Like Fiction

3. Lincoln and Kennedy's Parallel Lives

The similarities between the assassinations of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy have become one of the most cited examples of historical coincidence, with over a dozen documented parallels that defy statistical explanation. Both presidents were elected to Congress exactly 100 years apart (Lincoln in 1846, Kennedy in 1946) and to the presidency exactly 100 years apart (Lincoln in 1860, Kennedy in 1960). Both were shot on a Friday while seated beside their wives, both were shot in the head from behind, and both died from their wounds. The assassins, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, were both known by three names consisting of fifteen letters total, and both were themselves killed before standing trial. Lincoln was shot in Ford's Theatre, while Kennedy was shot while riding in a Ford Lincoln automobile. Perhaps most remarkably, Lincoln's secretary, whose name was Kennedy, advised him not to attend the theater that night, while Kennedy's secretary, whose name was Lincoln, advised him not to go to Dallas. Both presidents were succeeded by vice presidents named Johnson—Andrew Johnson (born 1808) and Lyndon Johnson (born 1908)—exactly 100 years apart. While skeptics have pointed out that some of these connections require selective interpretation and that many dissimilarities exist between the two cases, the sheer number of specific parallels continues to fascinate historians and mathematicians who struggle to calculate the probability of such extensive correspondence occurring by chance alone.