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Old 14-04-2009, 20:21   #7
BumFace
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Re: A strange history lesson for you

I've seen this one before and did a small amount of research - from Wiki:
The Lincoln/Kennedy List of Coincidences is a piece of American folklore of unknown origin. The list appeared in the mainstream American press in 1964, in the wake of the 1963 Kennedy Assassination, having appeared prior to that in the G.O.P. Congressional Committee Newsletter.[1],[2] Martin Gardner debunked much of the list in an article in Scientific American, later reprinted in his book, The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix.[3] Gardner's version of the list contained 16 items; many subsequent versions have circulated having much longer lists. The list is still in circulation today, having endured in the popular imagination for over 40 years. A more recent debunking of the list is available online.[4]
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 US Presidents.[5]

Interesting but ultimately just a list of stuff that happened - I could write a similar list for my own family!
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