July 03, 2018
Two Presidents Died on the Same July 4: Coincidence or Something More?
Natasha Frost
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of their historic proclamation.
On July 4, 1826, America celebrated 50 years of independence as, just a few hours apart, two of its Presidents took their final breaths. At the time of his death, Thomas Jefferson was 83, while John Adams had turned 90 the year before. Though both were unwell, their deaths came as a surprise to many—particularly as they coincided with one another on this very striking date.
https://www.history.com/news/july-4-two-presidents-died-same-day-coincidenceIn the weeks that followed, Americans offered a variety of explanations for the sudden loss of these two presidents. Though some likely wrote it off as coincidence, many saw evidence of divine design at work. In a eulogy delivered the following month, for instance, Daniel Webster wondered what this “striking and extraordinary†coincidence might suggest. The men’s lives had been gifts from Providence to the United States, he said. So too were their length and “happy termination,†which he saw as “proofs that our country and its benefactors are objects of His care.â€
