• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What is Tecumseh’s Curse and How Did the Curse on the American Presidency Originate?

What is Tecumseh’s Curse and How Did the Curse on the American Presidency Originate?

February 29, 2020 by Karen Hill

The great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, who died fighting with Canada against the United States’ invasion in the War of 1812, placed a curse on the American presidency.

He proclaimed that every president elected in a year that ends in a zero would die during his term.

Since then, every president elected in such a year has died in office, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, who was shot, but survived.

Here is a complete list of presidents affected by the curse:

William Henry Harrison, elected in 1840, died of pneumonia one month into his presidency.

Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was assassinated in 1865 at the beginning of his second term.

James A. Garfield, elected in 1880, was assassinated in 1881.

William McKinley, elected for his second term in 1900, was assassinated in 1901.

Warren G. Harding, elected in 1920, died of Ptomaine poisoning in 1923.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected for his third term in 1940, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945 at the beginning of his fourth term.

John F. Kennedy, elected in 1960, was assassinated in 1963.

Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, survived an assassination attempt while in office.

Some say that by surviving he broke the curse.

Related Facts

  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • What U.S. president slept through most of his term in presidency?
  • Did King Tut’s tomb have a curse for those who opened and entered it?
  • What illnesses and medical conditions did John F. Kennedy have during his presidency?
  • Where does Botulism Bacteria come from and What causes Botulism infections?
  • Where was Lucretia Garfield when her husband and president James Garfield was shot?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Did the Term “The Blues” Come From and How Did the Expression For Sadness Originate?
Next Post: Why are New Ships Christened with Champagne, How Did the Tradition Originate, and What Does it Mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy