We’ve all heard the phrase, “Everything happens for a reason.” While coincidences do happen occasionally, some of them catch us off guard. Some people think that everything happens in life at random, without rhyme or reason. Others fall into the camp that believes there is a greater power or destiny that controls our lives. Everyone has experienced coincidences in their life, whether it’s sharing a birthday with a best friend or running into a colleague thousands of miles from home. We’re rounding up 8 amazing true life coincidences you won’t believe really happened.
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1. Stephen Hawking, Galileo, and Einstein
Three of the smartest men to walk the earth were Galileo, Einstein, and Stephen Hawking. What have they in common? Stephen Hawking, the famous theoretical physicist, was born on the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo, the Italian astronomer and physicist. Not only are these two dates coincidences but Hawking also lived until the age of 76 with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which has an average life expectancy of two to five years after diagnosis. By comparison, Stephen Hawking lived for more than 50 years after his Lou Gehrig’s Disease diagnosis.
2. Three Identical Strangers
Have you ever thought you might have a twin out there in the world? David, Eddie, and Robby were separated at birth. They were as part of a research project to explore the idea of “nature vs nurture.” However, the study was not published. Each was adopted at birth and meet at age 19 when Bobby and Eddy started at a New York Community College. The media attention of their story attracted David, the third triplet. Their story is told in the Award-winning 2018 documentary, Three Identical Strangers.
3. Miss Unsinkable and the Three Shipwrecks
We’ve all seen Titanic and imagined what it would be like to live through that experience. For one passenger, the Titanic wasn’t the only time she would be onboard a ship during a traumatic incident. Violet Jessop was a nurse and ocean liner stewardess on board the Titanic in 1912, who survived the sinking. She was on board Titanic’s sister ship, the HMHS Britannic when it got caught up in an explosion caused by a naval mine near Greece. Two fellow Titanic survivors, John Priest and Archie Jewell, were also on board the Britannic. Before her journeys on the Titanic and Britannic, Violet was on board their elder sister ship, the RMS Olympic, when it collided with the HMS Hawke in 1911. Violet has recorded the incredible coincidences in her memoirs, Titanic Survivor.
4. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Died on July 4th
Not only is the 4th of July the day Americans celebrate their Independence Day, but it’s also the anniversary of the death of two Founding Fathers. John Adams served as the second President of the United States from 1797 to 1801 and was succeeded by his Vice President, Thomas Jefferson, who served as President until 1809. The pair had started as allies before becoming bitter enemies throughout their political careers. By the end of their lives, the two former Presidents had reconciled and were communicating through letters. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the 4th of July 1826, within hours of each other.
5. One Man Avoids Two Plane Crashes
Two Malaysian Air flights crashed in 2014 within months of each other in questionable circumstances. The first plane was shot down over Ukraine, while the second has become one of the greatest aviation mysteries after going missing over the Indian Ocean. Maarten de Jonge, a Dutch cyclist, was booked on both these flights but switched his tickets for cheaper options at the last minute.
6. James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder
Jeans Dean was one of the most popular actors of his day. Conspiracy theories have surrounded the circumstances of his death, but there is one coincidence that stands out. When Alec Guinness saw the actor’s Porsche 550 Spyder, he described it as being ‘sinister’. He reportedly told James Dean that “if you get in that car, you’ll be found dead in it by this time next week”. Seven days later, James Dean crashed the car into a junction of Route 46 and Route 41. The pieces of his car would later go on to cause several fatal accidents.
7. Robert Morgan Predicts the Titanic Sinking
In his 1898 book, The Wreck of the Titan or Futility, Robert Morgan’s fictional Titan ship would be described as “unsinkable”. Both Titan and the Titanic hit an iceberg on their starboard side on an April night, with passengers dying as a result of a shortage of lifeboats on board. Titan and Titanic met the same fate as each other, 14 years after the novel was penned.
8. Father and Son Die at Hoover Dam-Fourteen Years Apart
The Hoover Dam is one of the most famous pieces of infrastructure in the United States, named after President Herbert Hoover, and sits along the border between Arizona and Nevada. 21,000 people worked on the development of the Hoover Dam, with almost 100 deaths occurring during this time. The first death was that of J.G Tierney, who drowned during a geological survey that was being conducted before construction began on the site. As an incredible coincidence, the last death would come exactly fourteen years later. His son, Patrick Tierney, died after falling from an electrical tower.