During its history, the United States has seen many presidents. The latest, Joe Biden, has just been elected at the beginning of October. He takes the place of Donald Trump. While the latter had the chance to complete his mandate in 2020, many of his predecessors were not so lucky. Indeed, Abraham Lincoln or John Fitzgerald Kennedy are part of this disastrous list of presidents who died during their office. What if this tragic fate was not due to chance but to Tecumseh's curse?
The Context: The Tippicanoe War
This war takes place in the state of Indiana and its surroundings. The governor at the time, William Henry Harrison, sought to expand his territory. A problem stands in front of him: He clashes with the natives, the Indian tribes already present on this territory. It should be noted that American settlers and American Indians have already clashed many times and the natives have always resisted the Americans.The context is of course very electric between the two clans. However, the war was officially launched when the chief of the Shawnee tribe, Tecumseh, wanted to create a union between the "first nations". This involved an expansion of its territory and encroachment on Harrison's lands.
A tragic outcome
This vision naturally displeased the governor of Indiana, who launched the assault on Tecumseh's troops. 3 hours of fighting and 50 warriors killed later, the troops of the "shooting star" Tecumseh surrender their weapons and abandon their village. This could have been the end of the story, except that the Indian chief decides to cast a curse against the people who humiliated his own. An attack directly targeting the symbol of the United States: The President of the United States! "Every president elected in a year that ends with zero will die abruptly before the end of his term." 
Presidents affected
William Henry Harrison: 1840 The first president hit by Tecumseh's curse is none other than… Harris himself! Indeed, the former governor of Indiana will be elected in 1840. He died 1 month after taking office of pneumonia. This does not bode well for the future… Abraham Lincoln: 1860 Elected in 1860, President Lincoln, known in particular for his involvement in the end of slavery on American territory (and his recognizable hat) will be assassinated by a Southern partisan during his second term, in 1865. James A. Garfield: 1880 The third president hit by the curse is James Garfield. He was shot twice by a politician named Charles Guiteau, upset by the rejection of his candidacy for the consulate. He succumbed to his wounds in 1881. William McKinley: 1900 It seems that death by firearm is commonplace among POTUS! McKinley, too, was shot dead during his second term. Warren G. Harding: 1920 Harding's death remains a mystery. Some think it is poisoning, others say he died of pneumonia… The curse of Tecmuseh may have struck again! Franklin D. Roosevelt: 1940 President of the United States during World War II, Roosevelt succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage during his third term. John F. Kennedy: 1960 Surely the most famous and tragic death. President Kennedy was assassinated by a bullet to the head in 1963 in Dallas. The death of the president shocked the United States. 
Ronald Reagan: 1980 The latter president cheated death in 1981 by resisting an assassination attempt. As a result, he breaks Tecumseh's curse. He succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 2004.
Media Broadcast
The curse was heavily relayed following an article in Ripley's Believe it or not magazine, an American franchise focused on bizarre or controversial events happening around the world. The American people are thus looking a little more closely at all these tragic facts that befall their representatives. One thing led to another, at each election, the specter of the curse "hovered" in everyone's mind. In 1980, when President Jimmy Carter was asked about this, he replied: "I am not afraid. If I were convinced that this was going to happen, I would persist in wanting to remain president and do my best in the last days I had left to live." Badass! 
In summary, this alleged curse of Tecumseh will still haunt all minds for a long time until Reagan breaks it. We will never know if it is a simple combination of circumstances or the results of a real curse cast by the Indian chief to annoy his worst enemies to the end. We'll let you judge! If you want to discover other anecdotes, we invite you to read our file on Alice Guy, the first woman director right here !
