Search
× Search

The Six Degrees of Abraham Lincoln

As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, we retell the stories of his life in Springeld, Illinois as a lawyer and a Senator, and of course his life in Washington, D.C. as our sixteenth president. These stories are all well-known.

But what about his connection to your own town? Are there any ties to people or places  that bring Lincoln closer to you?

Of course there are! You've heard of the "Six Degrees of Separation" theory; that any person can be linked to any other person by no more that six degrees. For instance, John knows Jane, so John and Jane are separated by one degree. Jane knows Bill, so John and Bill are separated by two degrees. Because we all know different people from around the world, the theory concludes that you can find a link between any 2 people in the world within six degrees.

Maybe you've heard of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, a college party game that became a sensation. There's a book about it.

Local historian and author Kate Gingold, the author of Six Degrees of Abraham Lincoln, used the six degrees theory to tie Lincoln to her home town, Naperville, Illinois, and then branched out from there to make connections for several of the communities around Chicagoland.

The result: Kate's compiled a fun book filled with many odd and interesting facts that make Lincoln and his times come alive for us today.

Now it's your turn! Tell us your town's connection that links you uniquely to honest Abe. We'll share it with the world, and add you and your town to the Lincoln celebration!

So is there a connection to Kevin Bacon?! The simple answer is "Yes!" You'll need to do your own digging to find out what the connection is, or simpler yet, get the book!




Terms Of UsePrivacy StatementCopyright 2024 by Gnu Ventures Company
Back To Top