Fact vs. Fiction: Lincoln and Kennedy
Lincoln Presidential Library explores the supposed ‘eerie parallels’ between two slain presidents

[February 18, 2019]   Do you know about all the “eerie parallels” between Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy? Elected 100 years apart, concerned with civil rights, replaced by men named Johnson. The list goes on. But which ones are significant and which ones are routine coincidence or outright lies?

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will explore this urban legend with a special event at 6 p.m., Feb. 19.

“Fact vs. Fiction: Lincoln and Kennedy” features Dr. Samuel Wheeler, the Illinois state historian, and John T. Shaw, author of two books on President Kennedy. They’ll have fun pointing out the lies and exaggerations but also use them as a jumping-off point for deeper discussions.

“While the ‘eerie’ coincidences got publicized immediately after the JFK assassination, a closer examination shows these were very different individuals who took different paths to the presidency and ultimately governed differently,” said Wheeler. “I hope the event will challenge us all to think more deeply about these men and their legacies.”

Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, will sign copies of “Rising Star, Setting Sun: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and the Presidential Transition that Changed America” at 6. Then he and Wheeler will take the stage at 6:30.

Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for members of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. For tickets, visit www.PresidentLincoln. Illinois.gov and click on “special event reservations.”

The event is part of the special programming offered with the presidential library’s new exhibition of photos from Kennedy’s life, “American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times.” The exhibition, one of the most exhaustively researched collections of Kennedy photos ever assembled, runs through May 19.

It is based on the book “JFK: A Vision for America” by Stephen Kennedy Smith and Douglas Brinkley.

Brinkley, a presidential historian who contributes frequently to CNN and the New York Times, will speak at the presidential library on April 12. The topic will be his latest book, “American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race."

The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the 1860 presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience booming cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless original Lincoln artifacts.

The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www. PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.   

[Christopher Wills]