Debunking another myth

I got this email from my yahoogroups:

Have a history teacher explain this if they can!

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

Both wives lost a child while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.

Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.

Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat !

Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."
Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln" made by "Ford."

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the "kicker":

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe,Maryland.

A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

Lincoln was shot in a theater and the assassin ran to a
warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and the assassin ran to a
theater.

Creepy, huh? Send this to as many people as you can, because:
Hey, this is one history lesson people don't mind reading!!!

having learned my lesson about the date-rape drug email i got, i decided to a google search about it. i wasn't surprised to find that it's another one of those myths being spread through email. a site which offered explanations to debunk this particular myth is found here. i also found another version of this article in this site here.

most people find it easy to just believe in such things without taking steps to determine their veracity. but then again, i'm not like most people. i think i've found another purpose for myself in this blog: professional skeptic.