HINDSIGHT

Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy

Hindsight is defined as "the perception of events after they have occurred". 

With the benefit of more than 50 years of hindsight, our grandson Noah just completed a school project about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. And as part of the project, Noah interviewed me for my "hindsight", since I was Noah's age when Kennedy was killed. Part of his project compared similarities between the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. 

Looking back, these two events were amazingly similar. Not sure it means anything, but I think it does qualify as something that is really strange.

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. 
The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters. 
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 were shot in the head. 
Both were assassinated by Southerners. 
Both were succeeded by Southerners. 
Both successors were named Johnson. 
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. 
John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939. 
Both assassins were known by their three names. 
Both names are comprised of fifteen letters 
Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.* Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater. 
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

*Note: Booth actually fled to a farm and was killed in a tobacco barn. It might be a stretch to call it a warehouse. But two years after his death, Booth's body was temporarily moved to a warehouse. Also, after the assassination, the government closed the Ford Theatre and turned it into a warehouse.

This list in different forms has been around for a long time, and some think the list is a stretch. Some don't. However, it is true that any life event can be better understood after some time has past. 

My quick takeaway? The older I get the more I appreciate the importance of allowing time to pass - before we jump to conclusions. Hindsight is a good thing.