The Most Unlikely Coincidences Of All Time
Merriam-Webster’s entry for “coincidence” reads, “the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.” This might seem a strangely lifeless definition, because the truth is that few things amaze and entertain us as much as unexpected quirks of fate. We’ve collected 20 of history’s most startling coincidences — some tragic, some cheering. Read on to be diverted and amazed by some of history’s most uncanny twists.
1. A Booth saves a Lincoln’s life
As the man who in 1865 assassinated Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth’s name lives on in infamy. But this was not the first connection between a Booth family member and the Lincolns.
Booth’s brother, a well-known actor called Edwin, had an encounter with the President’s son Robert Todd. Just a month before Lincoln’s murder, Edwin was on a platform at the train station in Trenton, New Jersey, when Robert stumbled and nearly fell under a train. Edwin grabbed his arm, dragging him to safety.
2. Separated at birth
In 1940 a set of identical twins were born in Ohio. The two were separated and adopted by different families, one growing up as James “Jim” Springer, the other as James “Jim” Lewis. Neither was aware they had a twin, although they lived just 45 miles apart.
The two Jims were reunited in 1979. It then emerged that not only were they both Jim, they each had sons, one called James Alan, the other James Allan. Both had owned a dog called Toy. To top it all, they’d both been married twice. Their first wives were both called Linda and their second were both named Betty.
3. Real life mimics gruesome fiction
In Edgar Allan Poe’s 1837 novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket four sailors survive a violent storm. But their ship is almost destroyed, leaving them adrift and without provisions. Starvation threatens, so they draw lots. One Richard Parker is the unlucky one and his companions kill and eat him.
Nearly 50 years after Poe’s novel was published, four men set sail from England aboard the Mignonette. It was wrecked and the men escaped aboard a dinghy. Running out of food, three of the men decided to kill and eat the fourth, who had been gravely ill. This real-life person was called Richard Parker.
4. Lost and found
In 1974 actor Anthony Hopkins landed a role in a movie called The Girl from Petrovka, based on a novel by George Feifer. Naturally enough, Hopkins wanted to read the book. But he couldn’t find a copy anywhere.
Then one day he came across a discarded edition of the book at London’s Leicester Square underground station. Meeting Feifer a few days later, Hopkins told him the tale. It turned out that the author had mislaid his copy. They discovered the book Hopkins had found was the actual one Feifer had lost.