On July 4, 1826, America celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence and … just a few hours after that, two of its ex-presidents died.
Thomas Jefferson was 83 years old at the time of his death, while John Adams was 90 years old. And although both were unwell, their death came as a surprise to many, especially because these events not only coincided chronologically with each other, but also occurred on such a significant day.
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743, Shadwell (English) Russian., Colony of Virginia - July 4, 1826, Charlottesville, Virginia) - a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence (1776), 3 -th President of the United States in 1801-1809, one of the founding fathers of this state, an outstanding politician, diplomat and philosopher of the Enlightenment. The main events of his presidency, which was successful for the country, were the purchase of Louisiana from France (1803) and the expedition of Lewis and Clark (1804-1806).
John Adams (October 30, 1735, Braintree (Eng.) Russian., Province of Massachusetts Bay - July 4, 1826, Quincy, Massachusetts) - American politician, prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War, first vice president and second President of the United States (1797-1801). Lawyer. Together with his wife Abigel Adams, he became the founder of a whole dynasty of politicians. His son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth president of the United States in 1825.
In the weeks that followed, Americans offered various explanations for the sudden deaths of the two presidents. While some may have seen this as a coincidence, many saw it as evidence of divine purpose.
For example, in a speech given the following month, Daniel Webster asked the public: How can this "startling and unusual" coincidence be explained? " And he himself answered his own question: "The life of these people was a divine gift to the United States, proof that our country and its government are the objects of His care."
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Picture: Benjamin Franklin and John Adams meet with Thomas Jefferson (standing) to study the draft Declaration of Independence.
However, suppose it was still a coincidence, not divine intervention. What is the likelihood of such an event?
Modern scientists, as well as scientists who lived a century before them, sometimes tried to determine why such a statistically unlikely event could have taken place. The probability that two presidents Jefferson and Adams will die on the same calendar day is 1: 365. But if, when calculating this proportion, we take into account that there should also be one year, and the calendar day will be not just a common day of death, but also Independence Day USA - the probability of such a coincidence is practically zero - writes Margaret P. Battin in a report of the Bulletin of the Historical Society for 2005. Therefore, she says, we must seek an explanation for this strange causal relationship between the cases.
Over the years since this event, scientists have offered different explanations. So, according to the conspiracy theories of the century before last, all this was explained by "a conspiracy between doctors, family members and other caregivers." The purpose of this was to help the patient live to the right day - until the 4th. In part, President Adams' granddaughter once remarked that "the doctor was giving grandfather an experimental drug that, according to him, would either prolong his life by two whole weeks or kill him before 24 hours were up."
In general, centuries and decades after 1826, people wondered: is there something sinister and planned in this for all? Unfortunately, historical evidence of that period is extremely scarce and we will never know the whole truth. However, as a few years later, a strange coincidence again - on July 4, 1831, James Monroe, another former US president, died.