Oddly enough, three of the first five U.S. Presidents died on July 4th.
John Adams (#2) and Thomas Jefferson (#3) both died on July 4, 1826 - the 50th anniversary of the birth of the country they helped create; James Monroe (#5), another Founding Father, died on July 4, 1831.
I will leave it to the more mathematically inclined to calculate the odds of this happening...
Adams and Jefferson were bitter rivals for years, but became friends in later in life and corresponded frequently. Adams' last words were supposedly "Thomas Jefferson survives"; he was not aware that Jefferson had died about 5 hours earlier. |
