Originally posted by Texcoco II:
Amazing Coincidence
Finnish Twins
Finnish twin brothers, aged 71, were killed in identical bicycle
accidents along the same road two hours apart, police said. "This
is simply a historic coincidence. Although the road is a busy one,
accidents don't occur every day," police officer Marja-Leena
Huhtala told Reuters. "It made my hair stand on end when I heard
the two were brothers, and identical twins at that. It came to mind
that perhaps someone from upstairs had a say in this," she
said.
Other Coincidental Deaths
This is a similar story of coincidence, not of twins but of two
brothers. In 1975, while riding a moped in Bermuda, a man was
accidentally struck and killed by a taxi. One year later, this
man's bother was killed in the very same way. In fact, he was
riding the very same moped. And to stretch the odds even further,
he was struck by the very same taxi driven by the same driver - and
even carrying the very same passenger! (Phenomena: A Book of
Wonders, John Michell and Robert J. M. Rickard)
Mysterious Monk to the Rescue
Joseph Aigner was a fairlly well-known portrait painter in 19th
century Austria who, apparently, was quite an unhappy fellow: he
several times attempted suicide. His first attempt was at the young
age of 18 when he tried to hang himself, but was interrupted by the
mysterious appearance of a Capuchin monk. At age 22 he again tried
to hang himself, but was again saved from the act by the very same
monk. Eight years later, his death was ordained by others who
sentenced him to the gallows for his political activities. Once
again, his life was saved by the intervention of the same monk. At
age 68, Aiger finally succeeded in suicide, a pistol doing the
trick. His funeral ceremony was conducted by the same Capuchin monk
- a man whose name Aiger never even knew. (Ripley's Giant Book of
Believe It or Not!)
Winnings' Rightful Owner
In 1858, Robert Fallon was shot dead, an act of vengeance by those
with whom he was playing poker. Fallon, they claimed, had won the
$600 pot through cheating. With Fallon's seat empty and none of the
other players willing to take the now-unlucky $600, they found a
new player to take Fallon's place and staked him with the dead
man's $600. By the time the police had arrived to investigate the
killing, the new player had turned the $600 into $2,200 in
winnings. The police demanded the original $600 to pass on to
Fallon's next of kin - only to discover that the new player turned
out to be Fallon's son, who had not seen his father in seven years!
(Ripley's Giant Book of Believe It or Not!)
Strangers on a Train
In the 1920s, three Englishman were traveling separately by train
through Peru. At the time of their introduction, they were the only
three men in the railroad car. Their introductions were more
surprising than they could have imagined. One man's last name was
Bingham, and the second man's last name was Powell. The third man
announced that his last name was Bingham-Powell. None were related
in any way.
It's Raining Babies
In Detroit sometime in the 1930s, a young (if incredibly careless)
mother must have been eternally grateful to a man named Joseph
Figlock. As Figlock was walking down the street, the mother's baby
fell from a high window onto Figlock. The baby's fall was broken
and both man and baby were unharmed. A stroke of luck on its own,
but a year later, the very same baby fell from the very same window
onto poor, unsuspecting Joseph Figlock as he was again passing
beneath. And again, they both survived the event. (Mysteries of the
Unexplained)
Swapped Hotel Finds
In 1953, television reporter Irv Kupcinet was in London to cover
the coronation of Ellizabeth II. In one of the drawers in his room
at the Savoy he found found some items that, by their
identification, belonged to a man named Harry Hannin.
Coincidentally, Harry Hannin - a basketball star with the famed
Harlem Globetrotters - was a good friend of Kupcinet's. But the
story has yet another twist. Just two days later, and before he
could tell Hannin of his lucky discovery, Kupcinet received a
letter from Hannin. In the letter, Hannin told Kucinet that while
staying at the Hotel Meurice in Paris, he found in a drawer a tie -
with Kupcinet's name on it! (Mysteries of the Unexplained)
Paging Mr. Bryson
While on a business trip sometime in the late 1950s, Mr. George D.
Bryson stopped and registered at the Brown Hotel in Louisville,
Kentucky. After signing the register and being given his key to
room 307, he stopped by the mail desk to see if any letters had
arrived for him. Indeed there was a letter, the mail girl told him,
and handed him an envelope addressed to Mr. George D. Bryson, room
307. This wouldn't be so odd accept the letter was not for him, but
for room 307's just-previous occupant - another man named George D.
Bryson. (Incredible Coincidence, Alan Vaughan)
Twin Boys, Twin Lives
The stories of identical twins' nearly identical lives are often
astonishing, but perhaps none more so than those of identical twins
born in Ohio. The twin boys were separated at birth, being adopted
by different families. Unknown to each other, both families named
the boys James. And here the coincidences just begin. Both James
grew up not even knowing of the other, yet both sought
law-enforcement training, both had abilities in mechanical drawing
and carpentry, and each had married women named Linda. They both
had sons whom one named James Alan and the other named James Allan.
The twin brothers also divorced their wives and married other women
- both named Betty. And they both owned dogs which they named Toy.
Forty years after their childhood separation, the two men were
reunited to share their amazingly similar lives. (Reader's Digest,
January 1980)
The Vengeful Bullet
Henry Ziegland thought he had dodged fate. In 1883, he broke off a
relationship with his girlfriend who, out of distress, committed
suicide. The girl's brother was so enraged that he hunted down
Ziegland and shot him. The brother, believing he had killed
Ziegland, then turned his gun on himself and took his own life. But
Ziegland had not been killed. The bullet, in fact, had only grazed
his face and then lodged in a tree. Ziegland surely thought himself
a lucky man. Some years later, however, Ziegland decided to cut
down the large tree, which still had the bullet in it. The task
seemed so formidable that he decided to blow it up with a few
sticks of dynamite. The explosion propelled the bullet into
Ziegland's head, killing him. (Ripley's Believe It or Not!)
Childhood Returned
While American novelist Anne Parrish was browsing bookstores in
Paris in the 1920s, she came upon a book that was one of her
childhood favorites - Jack Frost and Other Stories. She picked up
the old book and showed it to her husband, telling him of the book
she fondly remembered as a child. Her husband took the book, opened
it, and on the flyleaf found the inscription: "Anne Parrish, 209 N.
Weber Street, Colorado Springs." It was Anne's very own book.
(While Rome Burns, Alexander Wollcott)
And Finally, Two More Twins
John and Arthur Mowforth were twins who lived about 80 miles apart
in Great Britain. On the evening of May 22, 1975, both fell
severely ill from chest pains. The families of both men were
completely unaware of the other's illness. Both men were rushed to
separate hospitals at approximately the same time. And both died of
heart attacks shortly after arrival.[/b]
anymore of this? hehe its so fascinating lol
