5. Abraham Lincoln split with Mary Owens by sending her a letter – and then went on to greater things
What if Abraham Lincoln never became President but instead lived a quiet life as modest family man and lawyer in New Salem, Illinois? American history would have turned out very different indeed. And it nearly happened, too. While still a young man, Lincoln agreed to a potential match with a lady called Mary Owens from Kentucky. He had told her sister that he would be open to marriage if Mary ever made it to New Salem – some say Lincoln was half-joking when he agreed to this – and, sure enough, she arrived in the sleepy town at the end of 1836.
Lincoln, being a true gentleman, agreed to see her. The pair even dated for a while. However, ‘Honest Abe’ couldn’t continue with the pretense for long. By the summer of 1837, Lincoln had moved to Springfield to move ahead with his law career. He decided the right thing to do was to break up with Mary. Lincoln sent the young lady a letter claiming she would not like the state capital. He even said that he would not blame her if she walked away from the relationship herself. Lincoln never received a reply. He threw himself into his work and then in 1839, he met Mary Todd, his future wife and mother of his four children. She would be by his side as he embarked on his legendary rise to the top.