Friday, July 04, 2008

July 4, 1826

182 years ago today something very strange occurred. Not only was it the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but two men, pivotal to that declaration, both passed away within hours of each other!

These two men were none other than:

  • John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States of America
  • Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President
Jefferson died first and then Adams. You can read about this fascinating coincidence here.

2 comments:

johnschochet said...

Not only is it amazing that they died on the same day, keep in mind that John Adams lived to be 90, an incredible age for that era.

Robert W. said...

Hope you're enjoying your nation's birthday, John! I have fond memories of celebrating July 4th in Chicago, the many times I was there then!

Yesterday a friend of mine turned 70. He referred me to some passage in the bible that says that 3 score and 10 years constitutes a "full life". John Adams thus lived a very full life!