Lincoln–Kennedy coincidences urban legend
Claimed coincidences connecting U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy are a piece of American folklore of unknown origin. The list of coincidences appeared in the mainstream American press in 1964, a year after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, having appeared prior to that in the GOP Congressional Committee Newsletter. Martin Gardner examined the list in an article in "Scientific American," later reprinted in his book, "The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix". Gardner's version of the list contained 16 items; many subsequent versions have circulated much longer lists. The list is still  in circulation today, having endured in the popular imagination for over 50 years. 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 U.S. presidents. List. The following are the list of "coincidences" that are commonly associated with the conspiracy, some of which are not true statements: Analysis. Some urban folklorists have postulated that the list provided a way for people to make sense of two tragic events in  American history by seeking out patterns. Gardner and others have said that it is relatively easy to find seemingly meaningful patterns relating any two people or events. Most of the items above are true, such as the year in which Lincoln and Kennedy were each elected President, but this is not so unusual given that Presidential elections are held only every four years. A few of the items are simply untrue: for example, there is no record to show that Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy; Lincoln's secretaries were John Hay and John G. Nicolay. However, Lincoln's footman , William H. Crook did advise Lincoln not to go that night to Ford's Theatre. David Mikklenson, on Snopes, also points out numerous ways in which Lincoln and Kennedy don't match, to show the superficial nature of the alleged coincidences: For example, Lincoln was born in 1809 but Kennedy in 1917; though Lincoln and Kennedy were both elected in '60, Lincoln was already in his second term when assassinated but Kennedy was not, and neither the years, months, nor dates of their assassinations match. Musical remembrance. Buddy Starcher wrote a song recounting many of these coincidences and parallels between  the two presidents' careers and deaths entitled "History Repeats Itself." It became a U.S. Top 40 hit for him during the spring of 1966, and reached number two on the Country chart. Cab Calloway also scored a minor chart hit with the song that same year.