Coincidences

[Davidu]

I've found this in my mum's inbox. It's really interesting:

"

> Look what happens when a President gets elected in a year with a "0"

> at the end. Also notice it goes in increments of 20 years.

>

> 1840: William Henry Harrison (died in office)

> 1860: Abraham Lincoln (assassinated)

> 1880: James A. Garfield (assassinated)

> 1900: William McKinley (assassinated)

> 1920: Warren G. Harding (died in office)

> 1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt (died in office)

> 1960: John F. Kennedy (assassinated)

> 1980: Ronald Reagan (survived assassination attempt)

> 2000: George W. Bush (?)

>

> And to think that we had two guys fighting it out in the courts to be

> the one elected in 2000.

>

> You might also be interested in this. Have a history teacher explain

> this if they can.

>

> Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.

> John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

>

> Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.

> John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

>

> Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

> Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

>

> Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

> Both Presidents were shot in the head.

>

> Now it gets really weird.

>

> Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.

> Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.

>

> Both were assassinated by Southerners.

> Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

>

> Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.

> Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

>

> John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839. Lee

> Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

>

> Both assassins were known by their three names.

> Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

>

> Now hang on to your seat.

>

> Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford'.

> Kennedy was shot in a car called 'Lincoln' made by 'Ford'. Booth and

> Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

>

> What a coincidence!

"

[Timenn]

It may looks like coincedence. But that is because only the facts are listed that have to do with eachother.

So there are many things which aren't so special. But they are not found in the list.

[Davidu]

Well here are listed only the most important things. I don't see the point in posting unimportant things. ???

[Timenn]

I mean, you didn't post other important dates, which didn't have something to do with each other.

It's like this:

If I state all bad things about a game, for example, the game will look bad. Even when the game is good. But it doesn't looks like that way, because you don't know the good things

[Davidu]

Oh, I understand. As I said, I didn't post things that had nothing to do with the "Coincidences". I agree that there were things that did'nt match, but, well, would you want to know them?

[Timenn]

It's more like that you can get all those weird comparisons from everywhere. As long as you state the right facts (the facts that have to do with each other)

[Davidu]

I think that's the whole point: to show the similarities.

Anyway, this is getting off topic.

[SpiceGuid]

Great list, much in a X-files conspiracy line.

I have heard series like that already, such as a very important historical event occuring each 17 years. It was not really convincing: important historical events occur every year.

My opinion is when there is a Davidu there is not necessarily a Goliathu. Many times things pair, that is elegant when they do, but pairs are not rules. But sure pairs are fundamental architectural elements (would you put an arch without a column pair?) and using them whenever possible in art and creation is really elegant.

PS: Happy 18 years Davidu, and welcome in the world of adults where you enjoy nearly limitless priviledges like drinking as much beer as you wish (without driving!).

[Davidu]

Thanks, SpiceGuid! Fortunatelly I don't like drinking, nor beer, nor wine, nor vodka. Sprite is my middle name. ;D

Anout driving, well, he he...

[Dante]

Lincoln was shot in a theatre and the assassin hid in a storage room (a barn).

Kennedy was shot from a storage room and the assassin hid in a theatre. :P

We got a list of all of those from our history teacher.

[nemafakei]

> Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.

> John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

>

> Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.

> John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Well, let us assume that most presidents are likely to be considered as candidates if they've served for a number of years in Parliament. The possible duration of service therein is discrete; it can take only certain values, due to timings of elections. Hence, it's unsurprising that the dates match.

Note that someone's just looked for patterns... no-one mentions the tonnes of things that were different; in any amount of unconnected, random data, there are bound to be similarities.

e.g.: I bet they didn't first enter the civil service at the same time (bar 100years), that they did not do any number of things 100 years apart...

[Davidu]

Yeah, but this thread IS about the Coincidences. DUH! ???

[Dude_Doc]

Is there any proof of this, by the way?

[Davidu]

History? I haven't looked this up. I found it. Ask the americans around here to look it up. They might know something about it.

[Dude_Doc]

No, I meant the Lincoln/Kennedy connection. I ask because in school, a year ago (YES, EXACTLY A YEAR AGO FROM THIS MOMENT --> MOMENT <--), I got a similar paper about the connections (duh, speaking/pronounciation lesson). Although, it is pretty funny reading about those kinds of things.

BTW (off-topic even!), is there any real "hidden messages" in music? I mean, like rock music when you play backwards it reads "the prayer" or some devil stuff? I think I heard it somewhere.

[DjCiD]

When you play Country Music backward, you get your house back, your wife back, your dog back, your job back.... :D

[Davidu]

There was one band (I don't remember its name) that when you played their songs in reverse you could hear suicide instigations. This was discovered after some fans comitted suicide.

[Dante]

Brain waves in the sound spectrum that we can hear apparantly sound like classical music. Which is why classical music is supposed to stimulate the brain.

(And believe it or not, there was a test to prove it! The results pointed to classical music actually aiding concentration etc).

[Davidu]

That's so cool... :D