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. In the 1970s, Martin Gardner examined the list in an article in Scientific American (later reprinted in his 1985 book, The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix), pointing out that several of the claimed coincidences were based on misinformation. Gardner's version of the list contained 16 items; many subsequent versions have circulated much longer lists. 

A 1999 examination by Snopes found that the listed "coincidences are easily explained as the simple product of mere chance." 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. Another winner 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:

 "Lincoln" and "Kennedy" each have seven letters.
 Both presidents were elected to Congress in '46 and later to the presidency in '60.
 Both assassins, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, were born in '39 and were known by their three names, composed of fifteen letters.
 Booth ran from a theater and was caught in a warehouse; Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.
 The assassins were both Southerners.
 Both of the presidents' successors were named Johnson and born in '08.
 Both Lincoln and Kennedy were particularly concerned with civil rights and made their views strongly known.
 Both presidents were shot in the head on a Friday.
 Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy who told him not to go to Ford's Theatre. Kennedy had a secretary named Evelyn Lincoln and she warned him not to go to Dallas.
 Both Oswald and Booth were killed before they could be put on trial.

Accuracy

True statements 

 Both were elected to congress in '46: Lincoln was elected in 1846 from Illinois, and Kennedy was elected in 1946 from Massachusetts.
 Both were elected to the presidency in '60: Lincoln was elected in 1860, and Kennedy was elected in 1960.
 Both have seven letters in their last names ("Lincoln" and "Kennedy").
 Both were concerned with civil rights: 
Lincoln felt strongly that all slaves should be freed and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which legally freed slaves within the Confederacy.
Kennedy was concerned with racial equality and was the first to propose what would be the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Both married in their 30s to women who were in their 20s: 
Lincoln was married on November 4, 1842. Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, making him 33 years old at the time of his wedding. Lincoln's bride, Mary Anne Todd, was born on December 13, 1818, making her 23 years old at the time of the wedding. 
Kennedy was married on September 12, 1953. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, making him 36 years old at the time of his wedding. Kennedy's bride, Jacqueline Bouvier, was born on July 28, 1929, making her 24 years old at the time of the wedding.
 Both were shot on a Friday: Lincoln was shot on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, and Kennedy was shot on Friday, November 22, 1963.
 Both were shot in the head. (Lincoln and Kennedy).
Both of the presidents' successors were named Johnson: Lincoln was succeeded by Andrew Johnson, and Kennedy was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson.
Both were succeeded by Southerners: Andrew Johnson was from Tennessee, and Lyndon B. Johnson was from Texas.
Both successors were born in '08: Andrew Johnson was born December 29, 1808, and Lyndon B. Johnson was born August 27, 1908.
Both assassins, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, are known by their three names,  although this is common for many notorious assassins who are covered by the press (see Mark David Chapman). This is routinely done by the press to avoid tarnishing the reputations of people with similar names (i.e., there are many John Booths, Lee Oswalds, and Mark Chapmans).
Each assassin's full name is composed of fifteen letters.

Uncertain assumptions 

Booth and Oswald were killed before their trials: 
On April 26, 1865, after refusing to surrender, John Wilkes Booth was shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett. 
On November 24, 1963, on his way to the county jail, Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by night club owner Jack Ruby.

False assumptions 

 Although President Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln, President Lincoln did not have a secretary named Kennedy. Lincoln's secretaries were John G. Nicolay and John M. Hay.
Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse, and Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater:
Booth did run from Ford's Theatre where he shot Lincoln, but was caught in a barn in Virginia, not a warehouse.
Oswald fled from the Texas School Book Depository, which was a warehouse where Oswald worked and from where he had shot Kennedy. Oswald was arrested in a movie theater.
Both assassins were born in '39:
Oswald was born in 1939, but Booth was born in 1838.
Both presidents were assassinated by Southerners:
Oswald was born in New Orleans, but Booth, a Confederate/Southern sympathizer, was born in Maryland, a Union state.

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. The psychological phenomenon of apophenia – defined as "the tendency to perceive order in random configurations" – has been proposed as a possible reason for the lists' enduring popularity.

Most of the items listed 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, Lincoln never 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 Mikkelson of Snopes points out many ways in which Lincoln and Kennedy do not match, to show the superficial nature of the alleged coincidences: For example, Lincoln was born in 1809 but Kennedy in 1917. Lincoln and Kennedy were both elected in '60, but Lincoln was already in his second term; Kennedy was not. Also, neither the years, months, nor dates of their assassinations match.

Musical remembrance
Buddy Starcher wrote a song, "History Repeats Itself," recounting many of these coincidences and parallels between the two presidents' careers and deaths. The song became a U.S. Top 40 hit 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.

See also
Birthday problem
Data dredging
Dark Side of the Rainbow
Kennedy curse

References

External links
"Linkin' Kennedy" article at Snopes.com

Abraham Lincoln-related lists
American folklore
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Coincidence
John F. Kennedy-related lists
Urban legends
링컨과 케네디 대통령의 공통점은 미국의 대통령 에이브러햄 링컨과 존 F. 케네디에 관련된 것 중 일치한 것을 모아놓은 것이다. 이 목록에 제시된것 외에 여러가지가 더 있다.

우연 목록 
 링컨(Lincoln)과 케네디(Kennedy)라는 이름은 모두 알파벳 7자이다.
 두 대통령이 모두 머리에 총탄을 맞고 사망하였다는 점.
 링컨 대통령은 포드 극장에서, 케네디 대통령은 포드에서 만든 링컨 자동차에서 사망하였다는 점.
 링컨 대통령을 죽인 암살범 존 윌크스 부스는 극장에서 링컨 대통령을 암살하고 창고로 달아난 뒤에 잡혔고, 케네디 대통령을 죽인 암살범 리 하비 오스월드는 창고에서 케네디 대통령을 저격하고 극장으로 달아난 뒤에 잡혔다는 점.
 두 대통령의 뒤를 이은 부통령들과 두 대통령의 암살범들이 모두 남부 출신이었다는 점.
 두 대통령의 뒤를 이은 부통령들의 이름이 모두 존슨이었던 점.(링컨-앤드루 존슨, 케네디-린든 존슨)
 두 부통령이 모두 얼굴 생김새가 똑같다는 점.
 두 대통령이 모두 흑인들을 위한 공헌을 많이 하였다는 점.
 링컨 대통령은 1860년에 대통령으로 당선되었고, 케네디 대통령은 1960년에 당선되었다는 점. (테쿰세의 저주)
 두 대통령이 모두 금요일에 총에 맞아 죽었다는 점
 두 대통령이 모두 부인 앞에서 죽었다는 점.
 두 대통령이 모두 뒷머리에 총을 맞아 암살범이 누군지를 스스로 확인하지 못했다는 점.
 링컨 대통령의 뒤를 이은 앤드루 존슨 부통령은 1808년생이고, 케네디 대통령의 뒤를 이은 린든 존슨 부통령은 1908년생이라는 점.
 링컨 대통령의 암살범 존 윌크스 부스는 1839년생이고 케네디 대통령의 암살범 리 하비 오스월드는 1939년생이라는 점.
 두 대통령이 모두 대통령이 되기 전에 여자 형제 중의 한 명, 백악관에 있을 때 자식 중의 한 명이 사망하였다는 점.
 로버트와 에드워드란 동명의 친족이 있었다는 점. (링컨의 아들들과 케네디의 동생들)
 링컨 대통령의 비서 이름은 존(케네디의 이름)이였고, 케네디 대통령의 비서 이름은 링컨이었으며 암살당하는 날 두 비서들은 모두 그 장소에 가지 말라는 부탁을 하였다는 점.
 앤드루 존슨(Andrew Johnson)과 린든 존슨(Lyndon Johnson)의 철자가 알파벳 13글자로 일치하는 점.
 암살범인 존 윌크스 부스(John Wilkes Booth)와 리 하비 오스월드(Lee Harvey Oswald)는 알파벳 15글자로 일치하는 점.
 두 암살범은 재판 없이 사살되었던 점.(링컨 암살범-도주 도중 총격전에서 사살됨, 케네디 암살범-잭 루비라는 다른 저격범에게 암살됨)
 링컨은 1846년 하원의원에 당선되었고, 케네디는 1946년 하원의원에 당선되었다는 점.
 두 부통령이 모두 대통령이 사망한 뒤에 10년이 지나서 사망했다는 점.
 두 부인이 모두 결혼한 뒤에 40년이 지나서 사망했다는 점.
 링컨은 죽기 일 주일 전 Marylyn(마릴린)의 Monroe(먼로)라는 곳에 있었고 케네디는 죽기 일 주일 전 영화배우 Marilyn Monroe(마릴린 먼로)와 함께 있었다는 점.

비판 
그러나 이러한 것은 호사가들이 두 대통령의 공통점만 간추려 모아 놓은 것에 불과하다는 지적도 많다. 일각에서는 이 중에 억지가 많다고 비판하기도 한다. 다음은 그 비판의 일부이다.

 부인이 프랑스어를 구사했다고 하지만, 미국의 상류층들은 대개 프랑스어를 할 줄 안다.
 죽기 전에 부인과 같이 있었다고 하지만, 공식 석상에서 영부인/영부군이 같이 있는 것은 당연한 일이다.
 미국의 대통령 임기는 4년이므로, 100년 차이를 두고 '공통점'이라고 하는 것은 이상하다.
 암살범들이 머리를 노리는 것은 당연하다.
 링컨을 암살한 존 윌크스 부스는 1838년에 태어났다.
 이름의 철자 수가 같다고 하는데, 링컨과 케네디의 경우 사실 성씨만 철자 수가 같다. 암살범의 경우는 본명(full name)을 나타내고 있지만, 부통령은 가운데 이름만 빼고 있다. 사실 린든 존슨의 경우, Baines라는 가운데 이름이 있었기 때문에, 앤드루 존슨과 비교하면 철자 수가 다르다.

차이점 
차이점도 많다.

 링컨은 영국계이고, 케네디는 아일랜드계이다.
 링컨의 암살범 존 윌크스 부스는 배우였지만, 케네디의 암살범 리 하비 오스월드는 간첩 의혹을 받는 사람이다.
 100년 차이를 두고 공통점이 있다고 하는데, 사실 아닌 것도 많다. 링컨은 1809년생이고, 케네디는 1917년생이다. 그리고 링컨은 1865년 암살, 케네디는 1963년 암살이다.
 링컨은 사망 날자가 4월 15일이고 케네디는 11월 22일이다.
 링컨은 공화당 소속이고, 케네디는 민주당 소속이다.

같이 보기 
 케네디 가의 저주
 케네디 대통령 암살 사건에 대한 의혹

에이브러햄 링컨
존 F. 케네디
미국의 도시전설
에이브러햄 링컨 행정부
존 F. 케네디 행정부
음모론
우연