All of us experience coincidences at one time or another. Some are more amazing and thought-provoking than others, but each leaves a lasting impression on us about the synchronicity of the universe and how random things can happen to us. These surreptitious occurrences remind us of the universe’s synchronicity and the randomness of events that can occur. These moments often fill us with a profound sense of wonder about the world around us.
In this post, I’d like to share with you my greatest coincidences involving numbers. Each of these tales is an actual true story of something amazing that happened during the course of the day and that involved numbers.
With that in mind, let’s dive into these intriguing tales that might make you question the unseen forces shaping our lives and the curious coincidences that defy simple explanation.
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1. 156, 666, and 1408
I was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about 8 years ago on my way to a job interview, if I remember correctly. I think I may have been on my way to the job that I had already been hired at. But, anyway, on the way to the bus stop, I passed the parking lot and on the display screen I noticed three numbers. Here is a photo from that weird morning:
As you can see, the numbers are quite interesting: 156, 666, and 1408. The latter is the name of a famous and quite scary movie by Stephen King based on his own short story of the same name. 666 is considered a good luck number in some cultures, though in most it is a portent of bad luck. As for 156, I understand that adherents of numerology consider it a lucky number. That morning was certainly out of the ordinary.
2. A Lucky Number that Never Was
My parents were not gamblers. But I knew people who did dabble in it. In the 1980s, in New York City, there was what’s known as gambling based on horse races. A person could play one number up to four. Of course, the odds of getting a four-digit number correctly are one in 10,000. The odds for a three-digit number are much less, at one in 1,000, but it’s still quite hard. One day I asked my mom to take me to one of these places because I wanted to try it. I was told that it was only for adults. In any case, I gave her a three-digit number. I didn’t dream of the number or anything. It just came up. My mom didn’t play the number. I don’t recall the exact reason. But I do remember that either later on that day or the day after, she informed me that the number came out. I was amazed, to say the least, though I still have my doubts, because when you’re a kid, miraculous things will tend to happen at a greater rate, and you just don’t know if it was the goodness of an adult to children (even the fakers are nice people, because what they’re trying to do is just make a kid’s day) or a true coincidence.
3. 66 in 1991
It was 1991. Other than 2002, 1991 is the only palindromic year that anyone alive today would lived through. Unless you’re a time traveler from 1001. As many of you know, I’m an avid reader. I tried to devour as much as I could in various subjects. Well, that year, for some strange reason, the number 66 would come up often. What? You may be thinking that perhaps this is some sort of crazy thought or not really a coincidence, but hear me out. I spent quite a few hours at the library several times a week. Many times I would open a book and it would land on the same numbered page: 66. Yes, I know this sounds weird, but back then, believe me, it frightened me a bit because it was happening a lot. I’d sit down, take a deep breath, open the book to a random page, and it would land on 66. But not only with books. It would happen also with magazines, like the TV Guide. I still read a lot, but that number doesn’t come up as often as it did back then.
4. 222,2222
YouTube is one of my favorite sites on the internet. It has a wealth of knowledge and entertainment that helps to pass the time while educating me. About a year ago, I was surfing the platform, when I suddenly happened upon a video. Much to my amazement, I looked at the views for the video and saw that it was at 222,222. I blinked my eyes, not believing what I just saw, and when I reopened them, it was still at that number. Thinking that perhaps this may have been a glitch, I refreshed the screen, and the number with only twos was gone.
5. The Number 12
Twice the number 12 came up at random times during my life in moments that were important. The first time was my elementary school graduation. It happened on my 12th birthday. The teacher that year is someone I write about in my article, “The Greatest Teacher I Ever Knew.” He taught me so much, and we kept in touch throughout the years, even as an adult. Feel free to read the article. Anyway, the second time the number 12 came up in my life was when I took the test for the specialized high schools of New York City. My first choice school was a prestigious alma mater in New York City. Although I did reasonably well on the test, I didn’t score enough to get accepted (the first question on the test was a multiple choice for the word ‘squalor,’ and I didn’t know at the time with the word meant. I think that question may have cost me. The number of points by which I missed the test: 12. The minimum score was 500, and I fell within 12 points.
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6. 1999: The 99-Year-Old with My Birthday
1999, I traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to visit friends of a relative. We were invited to the home of an elderly man. This man seemed spry and coherent, and we spoke about many things, including life in the past. At one point, I asked him how old he was, and he told me he was 99. I could not believe it. And I asked for his birthday, and, to my amazement, he told me he was born on the same day I was. To this day, I still have doubts about his age and birthday, as I do with the picking the three numbers story, but I thought I’d add it to my post because he was such an interesting person.
7. A Lucky Find or Just a Dollar?
About 7 years ago, I was traveling in Seattle. One day on the floor, I looked and noticed a dollar bill.
What made the bill stand out was its serial number—starting with a zero, then 22, followed by 66, and finally ending with 999. I asked some folks online about my discovery, and unfortunately, even though the numbers are interesting, it didn’t have much value beyond its original worth of a dollar. But quite an interesting find.
