The Curse of Tippecanoe and the Astrology behind It
The curse that killed 7 U.S presidents in office.
The Curse of Tippecanoe (also known as Tecumseh's Curse, the 20-year Curse or the Zero Curse) is an urban legend about the deaths in office of presidents of the United States who were elected in years divisible by 20.
It claims that every U.S. president elected in a year ending with the digit "0" will die while in office.
1840 William Henry Harrison (elected 1840, died 1841)
1860 Abraham Lincoln (elected 1860, died 1865, assassinated)
1880 James A. Garfield (elected 1880, died 1881, assassinated)
1900 William McKinley (elected 1900, died 1901, assassinated)
1920 Warren G. Harding (elected 1920, died 1923, natural causes)
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt (elected 1940, died 1945, cerebral hemorrhage)
1960 John F. Kennedy (elected 1960, died 1963, assassinated)
1980 Ronald Reagan (elected 1980, Survived assassination attack on March 30, 1981) President Reagan broke the curse. There are reports that Nancy Reagan feared that this curse would impact her husband so she hired astrologers and psychics. The astrologers would advise and influence the timing of a president's official engagements Including the exact time to address the nation. Reagan ran everything through an astrologer. His dates. His meetings. He even turned to her for advice on dealing with the Russians. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-nancy-reagan-astrology-20160306-story.html
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/reagan-familys-trusted-astrologer-dies-87
2000 George Bush (elected 2000, survived Assassination attack on February 7, 2001 and May 10, 2005)
2020 Donald Trump (People joked that Trump technically won in 2020 but the election was rigged, so the curse affected him and not Biden. Survived assassination attempt on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania and September 15, 2024.) Or maybe this curse diverted to Trump because Biden was barely alive.
THE ASTROLOGY BEHIND THE CURSE
Esoteric traditions often deal with cycles of time, energy, and the influence of celestial events.
Ronald Reagan was born under the Punarvasu Nakshatra in Vedic astrology. Punarvasu (meaning “the return of light” or “renewal”) is associated with restoration, second chances, adaptability, and breaking negative cycles including generational curses or karmic patterns. It emphasizes returning to a state of purity or progress after setbacks. It suggests breaking free from old patterns. It is believed that President Reagan broke the curse.
Astrologers have linked this pattern to the 20-year Jupiter-Saturn conjunction cycle, also known as the great conjunction. A cycle Vedic and Western astrology associate with karmic shifts, major societal, political, and economic shifts, particularly in leadership transitions, due to the planets’ symbolic roles.
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction took place in earth signs from 1840 to 1960.
1840: Capricorn (Dhanishta), Harrison died 1841.
1860: Virgo (Hasta), Lincoln assassinated 1865.
1880: Taurus (Rohini), Garfield assassinated 1881.
1900: Capricorn (Uttara Ashadha), McKinley assassinated 1901.
1920: Virgo (Chitra), Harding died 1923.
1940: Taurus (Krittika), Roosevelt died 1945.
1960: Capricorn (Dhanishta), Kennedy assassinated 1963.
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in 1980 took place in Air sign. Breaking the elemental pattern and the curse with Reagan.
Here's an astrologer, Joni Patry talking about this curse and presidents deaths. (President Trump's daughter in-law and Co chair of the Republican national committee, Lara Trump follows Joni Patry on social media. Many astrologers have claimed that Trump keeps up with astrology predictions).
More on Jeane Dixon: https://youtube.com/shorts/iSy9A1x8kZQ?si=-2OgSX3EhFUoFw_e https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/09/20/the-predictions-of-famous-psychic-jeane-dixon-who-met-with-both-roosevelt-and-nixon-2/
ORIGIN OF THE CURSE
The curse's origin is linked to the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Between United States forces and Native American warriors of the Shawnee tribe and their confederation.
Key Figures:
William Henry Harrison: Governor of the Indiana Territory, leading U.S. forces. (who later became the first president under the curse elected later in 1840)
Tecumseh: Shawnee (a Native American tribe) leader building a Native confederacy to resist U.S. expansion.
Tenskwatawa ("The Prophet"): Tecumseh’s brother, a spiritual leader promoting Native unity and resistance.
The Battle:
The 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne ceded millions of acres of Native land to the U.S., angering the Shawnee (a Native American tribe). Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa established Prophetstown, a multi-tribal settlement, as a center of resistance. Harrison feared this growing alliance and marched an army to confront them at Prophetstown, their base.
Native forces launched a surprise attack on Harrison’s camp at dawn.
U.S. forces held their ground and eventually repelled the attackers.
Heavy casualties on both sides, but Harrison claimed victory.
General William Henry Harrison defeated the forces of Shawnee leader Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa, "The Prophet." The Prophet foresaw that Harrison would take the Presidency, but swore that he would also die in office. According to the legend, after the Battle of Tippecanoe, where General William Henry Harrison’s forces defeated Tenskwatawa's followers, Tenskwatawa cursed Harrison for his actions against the Shawnee and their allies.
This is a very good video about the history of this curse:
I tried to investigate where the claim that “Tenskwatawa cursed Harrison” came from. Apparently it was first popularized by “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” publications in 1931 and 1948, which popularized the Curse of Tippecanoe as a spooky historical pattern.
I went through many speeches and letters written by William Henry Harrison. Took me hours but I found many interesting things.
In 1806 in a speech addressed to Delaware Indians, Governor Harrison challenges Tenskwatawa, the prophet to prove his mystical abilities. “If he is really a prophet, ask of him to cause the sun to stand still — the moon to alter its course — the rivers to cease to flow — or the dead to rise from their graves”
It is said that Tenskwatawa accepted this challenge and predicted an eclipse accurately, in response to Harrison. “Fifty days from this day there will be no cloud in the sky. Yet, when the Sun has reached its highest point, at that moment will the Great Spirit take it into her hand and hide it from us. The darkness of night will thereupon cover us, and the stars will shine round about us. The birds will roost, and the night creatures will awaken and stir.”
On June 16, 1806, a total solar eclipse occurred. It is also known as the “Tecumseh's Eclipse”. This eclipse as predicted accurately by Tenskwatawa, the prophet, was significant for Tecumseh as it further united various Native American tribes together.
Was it the bad luck of the 20 year Jupiter-Saturn conjunction cycle or the curse that killed 7 presidents?
There is no historical evidence of The Prophet cursing Harrison. Since he predicted the eclipse with accuracy, suggests a deep understanding of celestial cycles. My theory is that he knew about the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction and its effects. Maybe he did curse them and used the celestial cycle to magnify the effects OR he merely made a prediction mistaken as a curse.
In a letter from William Henry Harrison to the Secretary of War, dated July 11, 1807. This letter is a significant primary source that provides insight into the tensions between Native American tribes and U.S. authorities in the Indiana Territory during the early 19th century, as well as Harrison’s concerns about the Prophet.
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Very intriguing, long live Nikita's substack
This was such an interesting read, I feel this was meticulously researched. I've heard of Zero Curse before, but not this much in detail. You’ve turned a lesser-known historical phenomenon into a gripping read. Thank you 🫡✊👏