# Any thoughts on the election year 0 curse? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2001, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008 "2001-10-23T02:28:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/1 "2001-10-23T02:28:48Z")
For the longest time, the US had the curse going about every President elected in a year ending with zero not living through his term. Reagan kinda broke that by his assassin’s bullet missing by an inch or so. Now, with the recent events, it has come back on my mind. Bush is certainly a candidate for an Al Queda assassin. Is he going to make it? Or will the streak start back up again? As for me, I have a nagging feeling that there will at least be an attempt on his life. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/2 "2001-10-23T02:32:30Z")
Jeez, if there hasn’t **already** been a (failed, obviously) attempt on his life, I’d be surprised. I bet there’s a lot that the Secret Service doesn’t release to the public. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/3 "2001-10-23T03:15:44Z")
It’s just an overblown coincidence, and it was actually broken a long time ago, when FDR was elected in 1940 and survived that term. ---
**Author:** ![snac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@snac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snac)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/4 "2001-10-23T03:25:21Z")
Yeah, as Fiver points out, Roosevelt survived his zero-year term. So did Lincoln, for that matter. And the men elected in 1800 and 1820 survived their whole presidencies very nicely, thank you, along with Reagan. And other presidents have died in office despite their not having been elected in a zero year; see Zachary Taylor for an example. Overblown, absoutely, and not even all that much of a “coincidence.” One of the great things about the human mind is its ability to find patterns and construct meaning from relatively scanty evidence. That ability is also one of the problems with the human mind. ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/5 "2001-10-23T05:28:36Z")
For the record, it is known as “Tecumseh’s Curse” and like all Indian curses, it’s a crock o’ bull. Incidentally, the curse was pronounced by Tecumseh’s brother “Tenskwatawa, the Prophet”, and not by Tecumseh himself, who dies long before the 1830 election in 1813. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/6 "2001-10-23T05:33:05Z")
I’m just glad he didn’t get whacked while he was here in China last week. Jeeze, you make me feel old. This one came around when Reagan was in office, and no doubt 20 years from now it will resurrect itself. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/7 "2001-10-23T06:21:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by snac \* > **Yeah, as Fiver points out, Roosevelt survived his zero-year term. So did Lincoln, for that matter. And the men elected in 1800 and 1820 survived their whole presidencies very nicely, thank you, along with Reagan. And other presidents have died in office despite their not having been elected in a zero year; see Zachary Taylor for an example. Overblown, absoutely, and not even all that much of a "coincidence."** First, the supposed curse was originally placed on Harrison, who was not elected until 1840. So it could hardly affect the Presidents elected in 1800 or 1820. Second, it does not say that the President will die during that term, but while in office. Both Lincoln and Roosevelt did that. Third, yes Zachary Taylor is an example of a President who died in office without being elected in a 0 year. But he is also the _only_ President that fits that description. Fourth, Reagan’s survival would certainly seem to have ended the curse once and for all. Although I have heard reports that his heart stopped during the operation. (No cites, just rumors. Snopes doesn’t say anything one way or the other.) > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by China Guy \* > **Jeeze, you make me feel old. This one came around when Reagan was in office, and no doubt 20 years from now it will resurrect itself.** I hate to tell you this but according to Snopes, the pattern was pointed out in 1934 by a Ripley’s _Believe It or Not_ book. So the fact that it has shown up again is not at all surprising. Although if Bush survives until he is out of office that may put and end to it. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/8 "2001-10-23T06:24:56Z")
Ironically, what could be saving George W. Bush right now is the perception (far from undeserved, IMHO) that he’s a weak leader. If I were an enemy of America, I’d _want_ someone like him in charge of the opposing forces. The thing I could never understand about this “curse” is why an Indian would strike out at the President…who _automatically_ has an immediate successor…and only one out of every five, at that. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/9 "2001-10-23T09:52:44Z")
Eight posts, and no one thought to include a link to Unca Cece’s classic column on the topic, [Was there an Indian curse that presidents elected in “0” years would die in office?"](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_082.html), from _Return of the Straight Dope_. For shame. I suspect those presidents are the only ones cursed – all of you should avoid standing beneath tall trees during thunderstorms for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/10 "2001-10-23T09:56:35Z")
Opps, that should have read _are **n’t** the only ones_ etc. And I’m not planning on standing next to any of you guys for awhile either. ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/11 "2001-10-23T14:47:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by evilhanz \* > \*\*… who dies long before the 1830 election in 1813. \*\* That should have read 1840 election. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/12 "2001-10-23T18:29:55Z")
**Lok** , I’m surprised. A Snopes reference but no [link](http://www.snopes.com/history/american/curse.htm)? For shame. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2001, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/13 "2001-10-23T18:36:50Z")
Reagan came very close to death after being shot. His medical records from the emergency surgery still have not been released. I hope that the family will some day include them in the Reagan library. Nancy Reagan is, however, terribly protective of RR’s image and it may not happen while she is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/14 "2001-10-24T03:53:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\ ***Lok** , I’m surprised. A Snopes reference but no [link](http://www.snopes.com/history/american/curse.htm)? For shame. 🙂 \*\* :o [sub]I know. I am not worthy. Please forgive me.[/sub] Actually, the page was on a frame and I didn’t think of opening it in a new window. D’oh! Lok ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/15 "2001-10-24T13:08:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lok \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > > \*\ ***Lok** , I’m surprised. A Snopes reference but no [link](http://www.snopes.com/history/american/curse.htm)? For shame. 🙂 \*\* > > :o [sub]I know. I am not worthy. Please forgive me.[/sub] > > Actually, the page was on a frame and I didn’t think of opening it in a new window. D’oh!\*\* No need, just copy & past the direct URL at the bottom of the page. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/16 "2001-10-25T16:29:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lok \* > \*\*Fourth, Reagan’s survival would certainly seem to have ended the curse once and for all. Although I have heard reports that his heart stopped during the operation. (No cites, just rumors. Snopes doesn’t say anything one way or the other.) > \*\* [sub] no disrepect to RR, but…[/sub] anyone see a Monty Python skit here? RR: He shot me dead! ``` You're not dead now. ``` RR: Well, um, I got better! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/17 "2001-10-25T22:53:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lurkernomore \* > \*\* > [sub] no disrepect to RR, but…[/sub] > > anyone see a Monty Python skit here? > > RR: He shot me dead! > > ``` > You're not dead now. > > ``` > > RR: Well, um, I got better! \*\* Not to get political or anything, but there were quite a few people who suspected that Reagan was actually a newt the whole way through both of his terms… 😃 jayjay ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-thoughts-on-the-election-year-0-curse/89008/18 "2001-10-26T04:47:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > **No need, just copy & past the direct URL at the bottom of the page.** Okay, that is even worse. I never noticed the URL at the bottom of the pages before. And I have only spent hours and hours reading that site. I may be beyond help here. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > \*\* > Not to get political or anything, but there were quite a few people who suspected that Reagan was actually a newt the whole way through both of his terms… 😃 > \*\* Now that is just mean. You get out there right now and apologize to all the newts you can find! 😛 Lok