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Similarities Between the Assassinations of Kennedy and Lincoln (1860s and 1960s)

by Ron Kurtus (revised 10 April 2019)

American presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were both tragically assassinated during their terms in office. Both men were admired by many but actually hated by those who opposed their political views. Shortly after Kennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963, a comparison of the circumstances of his death and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on 14 April 1865 surfaced. That comparison pointed out some amazing coincidences.

Questions you may have include:

What were the comparisons?

Is there any significance to them?

Is this just a coincidence or what?

This lesson will answer those questions.

Comparison of events

The following chart compares the amazing coincidences in the deaths of Lincoln and Kennedy. Some items that are commonly listed in this comparison have been deleted as incorrect, thanks to reader feedback.

Lincoln Kennedy Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846 Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946 He was elected President in 1860 He was elected President in 1960 His wife lost a child while living in the White House His wife lost a child while living in the White House He was directly concerned with Civil Rights He was directly concerned with Civil Rights Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy who told him not to go to the theater *see note 1 Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln who told him not to go to Dallas

*see note 2 Lincoln was shot in the back of the head in the presence of his wife Kennedy was shot in the back of the head in the presence of his wife Lincoln shot in the Ford Theatre Kennedy shot in a Lincoln, made by Ford He was shot on a Friday He was shot on a Friday The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was known by three names, comprised of fifteen letters The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was known by three names, comprised of fifteen letters Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and fled to a warehouse *see note 3 Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and fled to a theater Booth was killed before being brought to trial Oswald was killed before being brought to trial There were theories that Booth was part of a greater conspiracy There were theories that Oswald was part of a greater conspiracy Lincoln's successor was Andrew Johnson, born in 1808 Kennedy's successor was Lyndon Johnson, born in 1908 Andrew Johnson died 10 years after Lincoln's death Lyndon Johnson died 10 years after Kennedy's death

*1 Note: It is an urban myth that Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy. There is no record of that.

*2 Note: There is no record whether or not Kennedy's secretary warned him.

*3 Note: Booth actually fled to a farm and was killed in a tobacco barn. It might be a stretch to call it a warehouse. But two years after his death, Booth's body was temporarily moved to a warehouse. Also, after the assassination, the government closed the Ford Theatre and turned it into a warehouse.

Other interesting facts

Some other interesting facts include:

Lincoln's dream

Apparently Lincoln had a dream several days before the assassination that he had been killed. He told his wife that he had seen himself in a casket.

A Kennedy uncovers plot

In February 1861, there was a plot called the "Baltimore Plot" to assassinate Lincoln as he passed through the city. A NYPD officer, John Kennedy, claimed to have uncovered the plot. In 1951, a movie The Tall Target was made about the plot, staring Dick Powell as Kennedy.

Lincoln's turkey named "Jack"

Also, Lincoln's son Tad had a pet turkey named Jack. Tad asked his father not to kill the turkey for Thanksgiving. Although Harry S Truman started the official tradition, Lincoln was the first to "pardon" a Thanksgiving turkey. (Now what would be real interesting is if JFK had a pet named Abe or had pardoned someone by that name. Thus far, I haven't heard of that.)

Skeptics disagree

Some skeptics say that you could take any two famous people and find a number of similar-type coincidences between them. The only problem with that theory is that there really haven't been any listings of such comparisons. And certainly none has been as extensive as the Lincoln-Kennedy similarities.

Summary

Facts concerning the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy are amazingly similar. It is uncertain if such coincidences have any meaning, but they certainly are strange.

Live your life with meaning

Resources and references

The following are resources on this topic.

Ron Kurtus' Credentials

Websites

History Resources

Evidence of Reincarnation Through Coincidence and Synchronicity - Extensive comparison of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy

Analysis of Comparison - from Snopes site on Urban Legends

Lincoln

Biography of Abraham Lincoln - from the White House website

Abraham Lincoln - Extensive biography

Chronology of Lincoln's Life - from TheHistoryPlace.com

Kennedy

Biography of John F. Kennedy - from the White House website

John F. Kennedy Library site - from JFKLibrary.org

The Strange Life of Lee Harvey Oswald - Biography

Books

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard; Henry Holt and Co. (2011) - Best seller

Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard; Henry Holt and Co. (2012)

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald; Simon & Schuster (1996) - Good biography by Pulitzer prize winning author

American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman; Random House (2004) - Thorough review of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

John F. Kennedy: A Biography by Michael O'Brien; Thomas Dunne Books (2005) - Extensive biography

JFK Myths by Larry M. Sturdivan; Paragon House Publishers (2005) - A scientific investigation of the Kennedy assassination

Questions and comments

Do you have any questions, comments, or opinions on this subject? If so, send an email with your feedback. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

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