Some things in life are easy to explain, but others might make you wonder whether the universe has a secret sense of humor. Imagine running into the same stranger thousands of miles from home, discovering that two complete strangers have lived nearly identical lives, or witnessing two unrelated events line up in a way that seems almost impossible. The odds might be astronomical, but apparently, someone has to beat them.
Recently, people online were invited to share the biggest coincidence in recorded history, and the responses were just very bizarre. Some involve astonishingly precise timing, others feature people and events connected in ways nobody could have predicted, and a few are so strange they might make you question just how random the world really is.
#21
When Mark Twain was born in 1835, it was on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet. He passed away on the day it next appeared in 1910.
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History also offers plenty of examples of coincidences that seem almost too perfectly arranged. Yahoo News highlights several unusual connections involving famous writers, historical figures, and unexpected family ties. Mark Twain, for instance, was born shortly after Halley's Comet appeared in 1835 and reportedly believed his life would be lost when it returned. He passed in April 1910, just one day after the comet reached its closest point to the Sun.
Another striking example involves Morgan Robertson's 1898 novel Futility, or The Wreck of the Titan, which described a supposedly unsinkable passenger liner that struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic in April and lacked sufficient lifeboats. Fourteen years later, the Titanic disaster shared several remarkably similar details
#22
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon takes place during Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia. The game was released in 2001.
3points
#23
The Great Chicago Fire was the second-worst fire in the U.S. that day. No one remembers Peshtigo, a once-thriving community, because it burned to the ground and was lost forever.
EDIT: As some have noted, there is a town called Peshtigo, WI today. The title character of the TV show Caroline in the City was from there, in fact, and it was an ongoing gag. However, the original town did burn to the ground (ending over 1,000 people) and they rebuilt it a few years later.
EDIT: As some have noted, there is a town called Peshtigo, WI today. The title character of the TV show Caroline in the City was from there, in fact, and it was an ongoing gag. However, the original town did burn to the ground (ending over 1,000 people) and they rebuilt it a few years later.
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#24
Archduke Franz Ferdinand's driver not understanding the change in plans and driving right past Gavrillo Princip after the failed hit attempt that same day.
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Even the construction of the Hoover Dam produced an unusual family connection: the first recorded worker fatality was George Tierney, who drowned on December 20, 1922, while the final recorded construction fatality was his son, Patrick, who died on the exact same date 13 years later. Such stories show why coincidences continue to capture our imagination.
Whether they involve extraordinary timing, unexpected family connections, or events that seem to mirror something written decades earlier, they remind us that reality can sometimes produce parallels that would be difficult to invent.
#25
Whattaburger and What-A-Burger were founded in 2 different states within a short amount of time of each other. Both founders were completely unaware of the others existence.
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#26
Oooooh I have a good one. In 1957 a Finnish architect, Eero Saarinen, was sitting on a panel deciding on the design for the Sydney Opera House... except he was a day late. Eero took it upon himself to look at the entries rejected by the panel the day before and decided he liked the design submitted by Jørn Utzon so much, he convinced the rest of the panelists to change their minds about it. This design became the Sydney Opera House we know today.
Next year, in Toronto, Eero would sit on another panel, this time to decide on the design of Toronto's new city hall. As is his wont, Eero showed up late, and again, he decided to go sifting through the trash. He found a design he felt was better than the others, and repeating history for the second time, was able to convince the rest of the judges of this, too. The design, by Viljo Revell, was built a couple of years later.
Eero also designed the St. Louis arch. This guy was basically a truffle sniffing pig for monumental architecture.
Next year, in Toronto, Eero would sit on another panel, this time to decide on the design of Toronto's new city hall. As is his wont, Eero showed up late, and again, he decided to go sifting through the trash. He found a design he felt was better than the others, and repeating history for the second time, was able to convince the rest of the judges of this, too. The design, by Viljo Revell, was built a couple of years later.
Eero also designed the St. Louis arch. This guy was basically a truffle sniffing pig for monumental architecture.
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#27
That the US and UK version of Dennis the Menace appeared in print on the same day for the first time. (March 17, 1951).
3points
Coincidences may be easier to explain when we look at them through probability and psychology, but that doesn't necessarily make them any less fascinating. Perhaps the most interesting part is that we never really know when an ordinary day might produce a story we'll be telling for the rest of our lives.
Have you ever experienced a coincidence that you struggled to believe was real? Maybe you ran into someone you hadn't seen in decades, discovered an unexpected connection with a complete stranger, or experienced two events lining up in an almost impossible way. What happened, and did you think it was simply chance or something more? Share your stories in the comments!
#28
Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born on the same day: February 12, 1809.
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#29
During the Cold War, Russian spies used hollow coins to pass messages to each other in America. One spy accidentally used his hollow coin as actual currency, and it ended up in the general population. The coin was found when it was given to a paperboy, who discovered the message in the hollowed out container when he dropped it and it split open. There was a message written in Russian code, so the boy handed it over to the authorities.
The government spent years trying to decode the message, with no luck. Eventually, a Russian spy defected to America, and in the process of handing over Russian secrets, the spy was asked about the coded message in the hollow coin.
The man translated the message, and it turned out to be a "Welcome to America, here's the way our operations work" message from Russia, meant for the very spy who decoded the message for the American government.
The government spent years trying to decode the message, with no luck. Eventually, a Russian spy defected to America, and in the process of handing over Russian secrets, the spy was asked about the coded message in the hollow coin.
The man translated the message, and it turned out to be a "Welcome to America, here's the way our operations work" message from Russia, meant for the very spy who decoded the message for the American government.
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#30
Wilmer McLean
He was a grocer who lived in Manassas, Virginia, where the First Battle of Bull Run, one of the first battles of the Civil War, took place on July 21, 1861. The Confederates used his house as a base, and a cannonball came in through his window. Fearing for his family's safety, he moved to the small town of Appomattox Court House.
Almost 4 years later, on April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses Grant. The surrender was signed in Mclean's parlor.
The First major battle took place in his front yard, and although he moved, the war found its way back to him. It started and ended on his property.
He was a grocer who lived in Manassas, Virginia, where the First Battle of Bull Run, one of the first battles of the Civil War, took place on July 21, 1861. The Confederates used his house as a base, and a cannonball came in through his window. Fearing for his family's safety, he moved to the small town of Appomattox Court House.
Almost 4 years later, on April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses Grant. The surrender was signed in Mclean's parlor.
The First major battle took place in his front yard, and although he moved, the war found its way back to him. It started and ended on his property.
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#31
Some of my favorites, from my email newsletter which 100,000+ people (and a bunch of redditors) subscribe to:
- Abraham Lincoln created the Secret Service on the day he was fatally shot. At the time, it wasn't charged with protecting the President, but still.
- John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved Lincoln's son's life.
- If your name is Richard Parker, stay the hell away from boats.
- In March of 1951, both the US and UK were introduced to Dennis the Menace comics. But the two Dennis were totally different and their creators didn't know about the other one across the Atlantic.
- The US Civil War started on Wilmer McLean's farm. He left the area shortly thereafter but couldn't avoid the war, as it ended at the home he fled to.
- The code names of the beaches used for the D-Day landings appeared in crossword puzzles before the campaign.
I'll dig through my archives to see if I find any others that I've written up if you're all interested.
- Abraham Lincoln created the Secret Service on the day he was fatally shot. At the time, it wasn't charged with protecting the President, but still.
- John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved Lincoln's son's life.
- If your name is Richard Parker, stay the hell away from boats.
- In March of 1951, both the US and UK were introduced to Dennis the Menace comics. But the two Dennis were totally different and their creators didn't know about the other one across the Atlantic.
- The US Civil War started on Wilmer McLean's farm. He left the area shortly thereafter but couldn't avoid the war, as it ended at the home he fled to.
- The code names of the beaches used for the D-Day landings appeared in crossword puzzles before the campaign.
I'll dig through my archives to see if I find any others that I've written up if you're all interested.
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#32
A japanese man called Tsatomu Yamaguchisu survived the two atomic explosives dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was working at Hiroshima when it dropped and went to Nagasaki to continue his work where it got dropped, miracleously surviving both!
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Yamaguchi.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Yamaguchi.
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#33
In 1938, a baby fell out of a 4th floor window and onto a man sweeping the street named Joseph Figlock. They were both injured, but survived. About one year later, the same baby fell out of the same window and was caught by Joseph Figlock.
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#34
This man named Walter Summerford was struck by lighting in 1918. Six years afterward, in 1924, he was again struck by lighting. Another six years later, 1930, he was struck by lightning again!
And guess what happened after that... he passed in 1932...
But 4 years after that (so 6 years after his last lightning strike) his gravestone gets struck by lighting.
And guess what happened after that... he passed in 1932...
But 4 years after that (so 6 years after his last lightning strike) his gravestone gets struck by lighting.
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#35
Mongol fleets almost conquered Japan twice in 7 years. They were stopped both times by a typhoon.
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#36
There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?” It tells the story of a ship which sank in the Menai Strait off the coast of Wales on December 5, 1664. All 81 passengers d**d, except one. His name was Hugh Williams. Then on December 5th, 1785 another ship with 60 aboard sank in the Menai Strait. The only survivor – a man named Hugh Williams. In 1820 on December 5th, a third vessel sank in the Menai Strait. All 25 aboard were drowned except, you guessed it, a man named Hugh Williams.
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#37
When Tamerlanes tomb was discovered and opened up by soviet archaeologists it had an inscription that read "whoever shall open my tomb shall unleash a conqueror more terrible than I". The same day hitler invaded the soviet union.
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#38
King Umberto I of Italy - Surprised nobody mentioned it yet.
One day, Umberto was eating at a restaurant when he saw the owner looked exactly alike. That wasn't the only strange coincidence, it was found out they were both born on the same day, in the same town, married women whose names were the same and the owner opened his restaurant the day the king was crowned. On July 29, 1900, King Umberto was notified the restaurant owner passed in a hunting accident earlier that day, moments later, a criminal shot Umberto and he was gone.
One day, Umberto was eating at a restaurant when he saw the owner looked exactly alike. That wasn't the only strange coincidence, it was found out they were both born on the same day, in the same town, married women whose names were the same and the owner opened his restaurant the day the king was crowned. On July 29, 1900, King Umberto was notified the restaurant owner passed in a hunting accident earlier that day, moments later, a criminal shot Umberto and he was gone.
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#39
Violet Jessop
20 September 1911 - Survived the sinking of the RMS Olympic, the largest, most luxurious ocean liner at the time.
14 April 1912 - Survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the new largest, most luxurious ocean liner at the time.
21 November 1916 - Survived the sinking of the HMHS Brittianic, the Titanic's sister ship.
This lady had a knack for surviving the sinking of the 3 most famous gigantic luxury ships!
20 September 1911 - Survived the sinking of the RMS Olympic, the largest, most luxurious ocean liner at the time.
14 April 1912 - Survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the new largest, most luxurious ocean liner at the time.
21 November 1916 - Survived the sinking of the HMHS Brittianic, the Titanic's sister ship.
This lady had a knack for surviving the sinking of the 3 most famous gigantic luxury ships!
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#40
The Egyptian War Trumpets. Found in the tomb of Tutankhamen, they are the oldest known trumpet prototypes in the world. There purpose? They had the magical power to summon war. They were played in 1939 on a BBC broadcast for the first time in thousands of years.
5 months later Britain entered WWII.
There are a couple other incidents of them being played and then war or riots breaking out..
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun%27s_trumpets.
5 months later Britain entered WWII.
There are a couple other incidents of them being played and then war or riots breaking out..
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun%27s_trumpets.
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