Posted on 07/06/2026 9:14:29 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
I wish I had discovered this a few days ago to post this past July 4 but I only found out about it this morning and it is amazing.
Many/Most of us are already familiar with the miraculous coincidence of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third presidents, one of whom (Adams) was most instrumental in pushing for the Declaration of Independence and the other one (Jefferson) who wrote it both died on the same day, July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence. This was taken by many/most Americans as a positive sign for America by Divine Providence. Also it should be remembered that though Adams and Jefferson were bitter political enemies, they ended up regularly sending each other friendly letters for many years in an act of apparent reconciliation.
Okay, so many of us know about this but this morning I discovered another AMAZING fact. Exactly five years after the second and third presidents died on the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of America, the fourth president, James Monroe, also died on the July 4, 1831. Wow! Was this all just mere "coincidence?" Perhaps some mathematician can figure out the statistical odds of this happening.
BTW, I just researched what other historical or natural event might have even longer odds against it happening and one was so IMPROBABLE as to have zero odds of it happening namely that of a planet having a moon and a star that appear to be exactly the same size. And that planet on which the zero odds (basically impossible) happened was right here on EARTH which by strange “coincidence” also has not only life but intelligent life which so far we have not found on any other planet. (Sorry SETI and Spielberg).
Check your last paragraph. You wrote “the fourth president, James Monroe”
Jefferson and Adams both died exactly 200 years ago yesterday.
They died on July 5, 1826? And all this time I thought they both died on July 4, 1826.
Okay, I meant the FIFTH president which makes the coincidence even wilder. The FIFTH president, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831, exactly FIVE years after the deaths of Adams and Jefferson. President number FIVE died exactly FIVE years after the deaths of Adam and Jefferson on the FIFTIETH anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
You didn’t know that?
About Adams and Jefferson? I knew that since I was a teenager.
About Monroe?
I did NOT know that until this morning.
“You can’t reach old age by another man’s road. My habits protect my life but they would assassinate you” Mark Twain
My Dad chose his time. Nine years after his first heart attack, I came home on leave from overseas. I was sitting on the couch in the den and Dad was in his his usual wing-back chair. He all a suddenly asked me if I had been saved? I told him that I was and told him about it. He said I was the last one of my siblings and he had a rapturous look on his face. I told him not to die now just knowing that. He said he wasn't going to and promised he wouldn't.
The next day Mom and Dad drove me to the airport to catch a flight to New Jersey to catch a C-141 to the Azores. Mom and Dad's plan was to stay in a Hotel next to the airport and drive back home the next day.
The next day back in the apartment at 74 Rua São Salvador, Praia da Vitória, Azores, Portugal, I got a knock on the door and it was the First Sergeant telling me that Dad had passed away.
He had a DNR order this time not like the other heart attacks. He picked his time and was ready to go.
Yesterday was also the 200th birthday of Stephen Foster, who probably had no idea of the significance of July 4 when he chose to be born on that day.
Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died on the same day.
She died first and it got reported, then his death happened and she was forgotten.
And sometimes you can will it, “unwittingly.”
On 13 December 1799 Washington became ill and when Martha raised what he considered overdue concern he told her, “don’t worry - I won’t fail to see our new nation into the new century.” Immediately after which he ordered a pint of his blood be removed. As he worsened several doctors were called, and over the course of the next 24-36 hours they eventually drew upwards of 5 pints. He had a serious throat infection, and the removal of 5 pints of blood all but guaranteed he could never fight it off.
He was dead that night on the 14th of December. So, I guess he wasn’t able to will himself into the next century with barely more than two weeks to go.
And don’t forget George M. Cohan, who almost certainly wasn’t born on the 4th of July.
C. S. Lewis died on the same day as an even more famous person.
Yes, Aldous Huxley also died on Nov. 22, 1963. But is he really more famous than C. S. Lewis? That could be debatable.
But Calvin Coolidge was.
Didn’t Mother Teresa and Diana die the same day?
I feel like I got gamed. I do.
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