The Fascinating World Of Coincidences
The world is full of amazing coincidences and synchronicities that defy logical explanations. Are these incredible events simple coincidences ... or is it the hand of destiny?
For most scientists, "coincidences," strange and incredible as they are, are nothing more than expressions of chance, of luck, a creation not of the Divine but simply events that become possible "naturally."
However, many see them as being driven by a greater force, a cosmic force that binds events together in a meaningful and coherent pattern. Many cultures believe in predestination and the principle of retribution for good and bad deeds - the principle of cause and effect.
Check out a series of extraordinary coincidences that will blow your mind!
A Child Falling From A Window Was Rescued Twice By The Same Man
In Detroit, in the 1930s, a young mother was certainly extremely grateful to a man named Joseph Figlock.
Photo Credit: Pixland/photos.com
As Figlock walked down the street, the woman's two-year-old child fell from a window on the fourth floor. Right on Figlock. The fall of the child was amortized and both the man and the child escaped unharmed. This incident is in itself incredible, only the story did not stop here.
A year later, the same child named David Thomas fell from the same window, in the same unpredictable way, on the same Joseph Figlock, who was passing under the woman's house again. And again, they were both survived.
(Source: Time Magazine)
Two Brothers Killed By The Same Taxi Driver
In 1975, while riding a motorcycle in Bermuda, a man was fatally hit by a taxi. A year later, his brother was killed in the same way while riding the same moped. More surprising is the fact that he was hit by the same taxi, driven by the same driver.... who had the same passenger inside.
(Source: Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, John Michell, and Robert J. M. Rickard)
Three Suicide Attempts Stopped By The Same Monk
Joseph Aigner lived in the 19th century and was a well-known painter in Austria, but who, it seems, was a rather unhappy guy. He tried several times to end his days, but it seemed that his hour had not yet come.
The first suicide attempt occurred at the age of 18 when he tried to hang himself but was interrupted by the mysterious appearance of a Capuchin monk.
At the age of 22, he tried to hang himself again but was saved again by the same monk.
Eight years later, he was sentenced to be hanged for his political activities. Once again, his life was saved by the intervention of the same monk.
At the age of 68, Aigner finally managed to commit suicide with a pistol. His funeral service was held by the same Capuchin monk, whose name he never heard.
(Source: Ripley's Giant Book of Believe It or Not!)
The Story Of The Ohio Twins
There is often talk of synchronicities and coincidences when it comes to twins, and probably one of the most impressive stories is that of the two identical twins born in Ohio.
The two boys were separated at birth, being adopted by different families. Not knowing each other, they both christened their boys James. But that is just the beginning of a long line of coincidences.
Although they did not know each other, they were both attracted to the field of law enforcement, both had a knack for technical drawing and carpentry, and each married a woman named Linda. They both had boys, one of whom named his child James Allan and the other named his child James Allan. They both divorced their wives and remarried girls named Betty. Even the dogs of the two are called the same - Toy.
Forty years after they were separated as children, the two reunited to share their amazingly similar lives.
(Source: Reader Digest, January 1980)
Two Women Have A Lot In Common
Due to a computer error, two women, both named Patricia, received the same social security number. When the two women met in an office to rectify the mistake, they found that:
- Both were christened Patricia Ann Campbell
- Both women's fathers were named Robert Campbell
- Their birthday was March 13, 1941
- They both married men in the military in 1959
- They both had two children the same age
- They were both interested in oil painting
- They both studied the field of cosmetics
- They both worked as accountants
(Source: world-mysteries.com)
King Umberto I's Double
One of the most famous stories about amazing coincidences stars King Umberto I.
In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I went to a small restaurant for dinner. When the owner of the restaurant came to take his order, King Umberto noticed that he and the man in front of him looked practically the same, both in face and body shape. Both began to discuss the striking similarities between them and found many more similarities than the superficial ones.
- Both men were born on the same day and the same year - March 14, 1844.
- Both men were born in the same city.
- They were both married women named Margherita.
- The man had opened his restaurant on the same day that King Umberto was crowned King of Italy.
- On July 29, 1900, King Umberto was informed that the owner of the restaurant had died that day shot in a mysterious accident, and while he was regretting it, he was assassinated by an anarchist in the crowd.
(Source: Ripley's Believe it or Not, Mysteries of the Unexplained)
Mark Twain And Comet Halley
The famous American writer, humorist, and satirist Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Comet Halley in 1835 and died on the day of its appearance in 1910.
He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said, "I came with Comet Halley in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go with it."
(Source: Providence Journal)
King Louis XVI And Astrology
Astrologers believe that the movements and positions of celestial bodies directly influence life on Earth or correspond to events in human life. Although it is a field in which there are a variety of different opinions, most astrologers agree that the positions of celestial bodies are used to interpret past, present events, as well as to predict the future.
Despite accurately predicted events, scientific communities view astrology as a pseudoscience, or rather as a superstition.
When King Louis XVI of France was a child, he was warned by an astrologer to always be careful on the 21st of each month. Louis was so scared he never worked that day.
Unfortunately, Louis was not always careful. On June 21, 1791, following the French Revolution, Louis and the Queen were arrested in Varennes while trying to flee France. On September 21, 1791, France abolished the monarchy and proclaimed itself a republic. Finally, on January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine.
(Source: top-10-list.org)
Hugh Williams Always Survives
In 1660, a ship sank in the Menai Strait. All 81 passengers died, except for one man named Hugh Williams.
In 1767, a second ship sank in the Menai Strait, and again the only survivor was a man named Hugh Williams.
In 1820 a third ship, with 25 passengers, sank in the Menai Strait. The only survivor was Hugh Williams.
In 1940, a ship was destroyed by a German mine. The only two survivors, a man, and his nephew were both named Hugh Williams.
(Source: Guide to North Wales, by Francis Coghlan)
The Bullet That Fulfilled Its Destiny 20 Years Later
In 1893, Henry Ziegland broke up with his girlfriend. Tragically, she did not take the news very easily, was overwhelmed with sadness, and ended her days.
Her brother, devastated by the pain, blamed Henry for his sister's death, went to his house, saw him in the garden, and tried to shoot him. Fortunately, the bullet just scratched Henry's face and plunged into a large tree nearby.
In 1913, twenty years after this incident, Henry decided to cut down the big tree, but the task seemed so difficult that he decided to blow it up with a few sticks of dynamite. The blast propelled the bullet from the tree directly into Henry Ziegland's head and killed him instantly.
(Source: Ripley's Believe It or Not!)
The Story Of The Church Choir
Mathematician Warren Weaver wrote in his book "Lady Luck": Probability Theory tells a fascinating story about coincidences that stretches our traditional notions of chance/luck to the point of breaking them.
The story originally appeared in Life Magazine:
All 15 members of a church choir in Beatrice, Nebraska, were due to arrive at church on the evening of March 1, 1950, at 7:20 a.m., but all of them were late.
The priest, his wife, and daughter had a reason - his wife was late because she had to iron their daughter's dress. Another girl sat down to finish a geometry problem; another could not start the car; two others lingered to hear the end of a very interesting radio program; a mother and her daughter were late because the mother had to shout twice at the girl for her to wake up and so on.
The reasons seemed quite common. But there were ten different reasons for the delay, which had no connection with each other. It was extremely lucky that none of the 15 arrived on time, at 07:20, because at 07:25 the church was destroyed by an explosion. Choir members wondered if their delay was "an act of God".
Mathematician Warren Weaver calculated mathematically the probability of such an event occurring - it is 1 in 1 million.
Is It The Hand Of Destiny Or Is It A Pure Coincidence?
According to some, such coincidences are not in fact coincidences, as they are too orderly to just be a product of chance. But then how can we explain them?
The problem that many people have been asking themselves is - is there such a Law that governs everything? Or are the skeptics right about coincidences and synchronicities, which they see as a whim of luck?
If we look in nature we observe that behind many "natural events" there are in fact laws that govern them. The motion of matter - from cells, molecules, atoms, etc., to planets and the universe - is governed by well-established laws, but many have not yet been fully understood and probably many have not yet been discovered.
Many times the universe has shown us that there is an order in the way things are conducted. And if all matter is governed by certain laws, is it not reasonable to believe that man, who is also made up of matter, as well as his destiny, is governed by such laws which are for the moment invisible?
From ancient times it is believed that what people call luck or bad luck does not actually exist but are events governed by such laws and principles of the universe - the Way of the Universe, as the ancients called it.
For most scientists, "coincidences," strange and incredible as they are, are nothing more than expressions of chance, of luck, a creation not of the Divine but simply events that become possible "naturally."
However, many see them as being driven by a greater force, a cosmic force that binds events together in a meaningful and coherent pattern. Many cultures believe in predestination and the principle of retribution for good and bad deeds - the principle of cause and effect.
Check out a series of extraordinary coincidences that will blow your mind!
A Child Falling From A Window Was Rescued Twice By The Same Man
In Detroit, in the 1930s, a young mother was certainly extremely grateful to a man named Joseph Figlock.
Photo Credit: Pixland/photos.com
As Figlock walked down the street, the woman's two-year-old child fell from a window on the fourth floor. Right on Figlock. The fall of the child was amortized and both the man and the child escaped unharmed. This incident is in itself incredible, only the story did not stop here.
A year later, the same child named David Thomas fell from the same window, in the same unpredictable way, on the same Joseph Figlock, who was passing under the woman's house again. And again, they were both survived.
(Source: Time Magazine)
Two Brothers Killed By The Same Taxi Driver
In 1975, while riding a motorcycle in Bermuda, a man was fatally hit by a taxi. A year later, his brother was killed in the same way while riding the same moped. More surprising is the fact that he was hit by the same taxi, driven by the same driver.... who had the same passenger inside.
(Source: Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, John Michell, and Robert J. M. Rickard)
Three Suicide Attempts Stopped By The Same Monk
Joseph Aigner lived in the 19th century and was a well-known painter in Austria, but who, it seems, was a rather unhappy guy. He tried several times to end his days, but it seemed that his hour had not yet come.
The first suicide attempt occurred at the age of 18 when he tried to hang himself but was interrupted by the mysterious appearance of a Capuchin monk.
At the age of 22, he tried to hang himself again but was saved again by the same monk.
Eight years later, he was sentenced to be hanged for his political activities. Once again, his life was saved by the intervention of the same monk.
At the age of 68, Aigner finally managed to commit suicide with a pistol. His funeral service was held by the same Capuchin monk, whose name he never heard.
(Source: Ripley's Giant Book of Believe It or Not!)
The Story Of The Ohio Twins
There is often talk of synchronicities and coincidences when it comes to twins, and probably one of the most impressive stories is that of the two identical twins born in Ohio.
The two boys were separated at birth, being adopted by different families. Not knowing each other, they both christened their boys James. But that is just the beginning of a long line of coincidences.
Although they did not know each other, they were both attracted to the field of law enforcement, both had a knack for technical drawing and carpentry, and each married a woman named Linda. They both had boys, one of whom named his child James Allan and the other named his child James Allan. They both divorced their wives and remarried girls named Betty. Even the dogs of the two are called the same - Toy.
Forty years after they were separated as children, the two reunited to share their amazingly similar lives.
(Source: Reader Digest, January 1980)
Two Women Have A Lot In Common
Due to a computer error, two women, both named Patricia, received the same social security number. When the two women met in an office to rectify the mistake, they found that:
- Both were christened Patricia Ann Campbell
- Both women's fathers were named Robert Campbell
- Their birthday was March 13, 1941
- They both married men in the military in 1959
- They both had two children the same age
- They were both interested in oil painting
- They both studied the field of cosmetics
- They both worked as accountants
(Source: world-mysteries.com)
King Umberto I's Double
One of the most famous stories about amazing coincidences stars King Umberto I.
In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I went to a small restaurant for dinner. When the owner of the restaurant came to take his order, King Umberto noticed that he and the man in front of him looked practically the same, both in face and body shape. Both began to discuss the striking similarities between them and found many more similarities than the superficial ones.
- Both men were born on the same day and the same year - March 14, 1844.
- Both men were born in the same city.
- They were both married women named Margherita.
- The man had opened his restaurant on the same day that King Umberto was crowned King of Italy.
- On July 29, 1900, King Umberto was informed that the owner of the restaurant had died that day shot in a mysterious accident, and while he was regretting it, he was assassinated by an anarchist in the crowd.
(Source: Ripley's Believe it or Not, Mysteries of the Unexplained)
Mark Twain And Comet Halley
The famous American writer, humorist, and satirist Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Comet Halley in 1835 and died on the day of its appearance in 1910.
He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said, "I came with Comet Halley in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go with it."
(Source: Providence Journal)
King Louis XVI And Astrology
Astrologers believe that the movements and positions of celestial bodies directly influence life on Earth or correspond to events in human life. Although it is a field in which there are a variety of different opinions, most astrologers agree that the positions of celestial bodies are used to interpret past, present events, as well as to predict the future.
Despite accurately predicted events, scientific communities view astrology as a pseudoscience, or rather as a superstition.
When King Louis XVI of France was a child, he was warned by an astrologer to always be careful on the 21st of each month. Louis was so scared he never worked that day.
Unfortunately, Louis was not always careful. On June 21, 1791, following the French Revolution, Louis and the Queen were arrested in Varennes while trying to flee France. On September 21, 1791, France abolished the monarchy and proclaimed itself a republic. Finally, on January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine.
(Source: top-10-list.org)
Hugh Williams Always Survives
In 1660, a ship sank in the Menai Strait. All 81 passengers died, except for one man named Hugh Williams.
In 1767, a second ship sank in the Menai Strait, and again the only survivor was a man named Hugh Williams.
In 1820 a third ship, with 25 passengers, sank in the Menai Strait. The only survivor was Hugh Williams.
In 1940, a ship was destroyed by a German mine. The only two survivors, a man, and his nephew were both named Hugh Williams.
(Source: Guide to North Wales, by Francis Coghlan)
The Bullet That Fulfilled Its Destiny 20 Years Later
In 1893, Henry Ziegland broke up with his girlfriend. Tragically, she did not take the news very easily, was overwhelmed with sadness, and ended her days.
Her brother, devastated by the pain, blamed Henry for his sister's death, went to his house, saw him in the garden, and tried to shoot him. Fortunately, the bullet just scratched Henry's face and plunged into a large tree nearby.
In 1913, twenty years after this incident, Henry decided to cut down the big tree, but the task seemed so difficult that he decided to blow it up with a few sticks of dynamite. The blast propelled the bullet from the tree directly into Henry Ziegland's head and killed him instantly.
(Source: Ripley's Believe It or Not!)
The Story Of The Church Choir
Mathematician Warren Weaver wrote in his book "Lady Luck": Probability Theory tells a fascinating story about coincidences that stretches our traditional notions of chance/luck to the point of breaking them.
The story originally appeared in Life Magazine:
All 15 members of a church choir in Beatrice, Nebraska, were due to arrive at church on the evening of March 1, 1950, at 7:20 a.m., but all of them were late.
The priest, his wife, and daughter had a reason - his wife was late because she had to iron their daughter's dress. Another girl sat down to finish a geometry problem; another could not start the car; two others lingered to hear the end of a very interesting radio program; a mother and her daughter were late because the mother had to shout twice at the girl for her to wake up and so on.
The reasons seemed quite common. But there were ten different reasons for the delay, which had no connection with each other. It was extremely lucky that none of the 15 arrived on time, at 07:20, because at 07:25 the church was destroyed by an explosion. Choir members wondered if their delay was "an act of God".
Mathematician Warren Weaver calculated mathematically the probability of such an event occurring - it is 1 in 1 million.
Is It The Hand Of Destiny Or Is It A Pure Coincidence?
According to some, such coincidences are not in fact coincidences, as they are too orderly to just be a product of chance. But then how can we explain them?
The problem that many people have been asking themselves is - is there such a Law that governs everything? Or are the skeptics right about coincidences and synchronicities, which they see as a whim of luck?
If we look in nature we observe that behind many "natural events" there are in fact laws that govern them. The motion of matter - from cells, molecules, atoms, etc., to planets and the universe - is governed by well-established laws, but many have not yet been fully understood and probably many have not yet been discovered.
Many times the universe has shown us that there is an order in the way things are conducted. And if all matter is governed by certain laws, is it not reasonable to believe that man, who is also made up of matter, as well as his destiny, is governed by such laws which are for the moment invisible?
From ancient times it is believed that what people call luck or bad luck does not actually exist but are events governed by such laws and principles of the universe - the Way of the Universe, as the ancients called it.
