30 Incredible Coincidences You’ll Have To See To Believe

1. The Simpsons predict President Trump

Image Source/ 20th Century FoxThe Simpsons have featured many celebrity cameos over the years but few are as famous as Donald Trump. Unbelievably, way back in 2000, an episode was aired which featured the orange-face, white-haired businessman taking the next step in his career as he became President of the United States. Now if that isn’t a coincidence, I don’t know what is.

2. Double Dennis

Image Source/ RedditDennis the Menace is one of those characters who have stood the test of time. You know him, your grandparents know him, he’s iconic! Well maybe that’s because when he first emerged back in March 1951 he had a doppelgänger… In the exact same month, ‘Dennis the Menace’ characters were launched in both the UK and the US, despite the creators never meeting! No lawsuits were filed because this truly was a case of pure coincidence.

3. Hoover Dam - father and son fatality

Image Source/ PinterestThe Hoover Dam is a feat of construction, taking over 10 years to build. As is sadly often the case in mega building projects, many deaths were recorded during the dam’s creation in the 20s and 30s. In fact, over 100 people lost their lives on this risky project. One quite freaky coincidence is that the first man to die was George Tierney, on December 20th 1922. The last? Tierney’s own son Patrick who died on the very same date - December 20th - 13 years later in 1935.

4. Twins - raised apart but lived the same

Image Source/ Lisa Wiltse/Getty ImagesA set of twins from Ohio, America were separated at birth without ever knowing of the other. They went on to each lead remarkably similar lives suggesting that the genetic role of twins is far more significant than we may realise. Listen to these crazy similarities: both brothers married Lindas, both had sons with the same name - James Allan, both had a dog named Toy. If your mind isn’t blown enough already, both brothers went on to divorce their respective Lindas and marry new women, both named Betty!

5. Lucky lottery player

Image Source/ Chicago TodayJoan Ginther, a Stanford Ph.D statistics graduate has won over $20 million through playing scratch-off lottery tickets. Although many are sceptical of Ginther, saying their win was as a result of careful statistical analysis it’s still impressive that someone could win 4 times over and bag themselves such a large amount of money.

6. Harrison Ford campus tourguide

Image Source/ BuzzfeedWhen this girl was touring a potential University, conversation with her family randomly turned to Star Wars. Later on, during a presentation to prospective students and their parents, the girl’s dad turned to her and said, “Am I going crazy or is that Harrison Ford!?” Lo and behold it was the Star Wars actor! They were so starstruck that they wangled their way onto the same afternoon tour as the actor and even managed a cheeky snap!

7. The spooky coincidence of Edgar Allan Poe

Image Source/ Poetry FoundationIn his book ‘The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket’, author Allan Poe wrote about a tragic event where a ship sunk, leaving four sailors to make a horrific decision - to eat shipmate and cabin boy Richard Parker. Half a century later, Allan Poe’s fictional story became reality when a boat really did sink, four sailors really were stranded and a cabin boy really was eaten in order for them to survive. That’s not all - can you guess the name of the cabin boy? That’s right - Richard Parker. I wonder if any of them had read the book…?

8. Ferrari footballer…

Image Source/ FacebookEnzo Ferrari, founder of the famous Farrari car company died in 1988. Just two months later, well-known Arsenal footballer Mesut Özil was born. Over the years, the comparison between the two men has been pointed out and I have to say they are unbelievably similar looking.

9. Park ranger stranger

Image Source/ YoutubeIn 1940, Royce Burton was hiking in the unforgiving terrain of the Rio Grande, Texas. As Burton was climbing out of a canyon he lost his footing and was just moments away from dying. That is, until a park ranger who Burton only ever knew as ‘Joe’ stepped in and saved him, pulling him back to safety using the strap on his rifle. So impacted by his near-death experience, Burton often told the story to his students at the university where he taught. One day, when retelling the story, guess who walked into the auditorium - none other than ‘Joe’! After all those years he had tracked Burton down and the pair were reunited mid-way through the exact story that brought them together all those years ago!

10. Hawking’s heroes

Image Source/ BBCThere are few scientists as famous as the late Stephen Hawking. Well, perhaps Galileo or Einstein who, unbelievably, share some staggering similarities with Hawking. On the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death, Stephen Hawking was born! Astonishingly, Hawking passed away on Albert Einstein’s birthday. Maybe his fate was written in the stars all along…

11. World’s luckiest traveller

Image Source/ TelegraphMost people would be frustrated if they missed a flight. Well that couldn’t be further from the truth for Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge. De Jonge was booked onto Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 but decided to switch to an earlier flight. Thank god for that - the flight famously went missing hours after take off. What’s more, in 2014, he was meant to board Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 but switched his ticket to a cheaper alternative. Guess what? That flight was shot down over Ukraine. I imagine he’s firmly stuck to cycling since then.

12. Johnny Bravo predicts 9/11

Image Source/ Conspiracy ClubIt would appear that The Simpsons isn't the only cartoon credited with having made some spooky predictions. In an episode of Johnny Bravo, aired in April 2001 there was a terrifying prediction of 9/11 - which happened just 5 months from when the episode went live. In one scene, a poster of two burning skyscrapers with the slogan ‘Coming Soon’ can be seen. Terrifying huh?

13. Man predicts the Titanic

Image Source/ WikipediaLooks like Edgar Allan Poe wasn’t the only author making spookily accurate predictions. In 1898, 14 years before the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, Morgan Robertson - a US author - wrote a book with striking similarities. In the book ‘Futility’, a ship named the Titan (!) was said to be unsinkable… Just like the real Titanic, the fantasy ship Titan hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean and a lack of lifeboats saw many passengers lose their lives. Freaky or what?

14. The (un)lucky passenger

Image Source/ WikipediaYou would not want to board a ship with Violet Jessup… She was on board the HMS Olympic which hit another ship - HMS Hawke. Years later, she was on board the HMHS Britannic when it sank after hitting a sea mine. Finally and most famously of all, she was aboard the Titanic! Her lucky escapes from these three tragedies got her a great nickname - Miss Unsinkable!

15. Perfect timing...

How crazy is this receipt? When this girl’s uncle was buying her a pair of Christmas pyjamas he might have been aware that the date was quite unusual (12/12/12) but can you BELIEVE he made the purchase at the exact time of 12 minutes past 12, making the recept read 12/12/2012 12:12. Mind. blown.

16. Three Identical Strangers

Image Source/ NYTimesYou may have seen the 2018 special that documents this story of crazy coincidences. In 1980, three men: Robby, David, and Eddie learnt that they were identical triplets all adopted into separate families. How did they meet? Well, 2 of the 3 randomly went to the same University so it wasn’t long before people started telling them they had a campus lookalike. After their story made the press the 3rd triplet saw it and got in contact. Imagine how he must have felt!

17. Dollar bill surprise

Image Source/ BolstablogEsther and Paul Grachan are meant to be. On the day Paul decided to ask Esther to be his girlfriend he was in a sandwich shop, paying with a few dollar bills. As he handed them to the cashier, he noticed one had the name ‘Esther’ written on it. Finding it funny, he switched it for an alternative and kept it to show to his lover later on. When she saw the bill Esther couldn’t believe her eyes - after her previous breakup, she had written her name on a few bills with the superstitious thought that one day someone would find one and they would be ‘the one’. Turns out her premonition was correct - Esther and Paul went on to get married!

18. WW1 - ended before it even began

Image Source/ FlickrIf you studied history in high school, you’ll remember that WW1 began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in a car in Sarajevo on 28th June 1914. The car, which is kept in a museum, is in incredible condition with the number plate clearly visible. That number plate says A III 118. The coincidence? WW1 ended on 11th November 1918, otherwise written as 11/11/18...

19. The balloon story that will blow your mind

Image Source/ YoutubeIn 2001 a 10 year old called Laura Buxton released a balloon from her front yard. On it, she had written a seemingly sweet and unlikely plea: "Please return to Laura Buxton” (she added her address too). Lifting off into the wind, Laura could never have imagined what happened next. After travelling 140 miles across the USA, the balloon settled in the yard of another little girl. Can you guess her name? Laura Buxton! After realising the crazy coincidence, the girls met up and found they shared many other similarities including both owning chocolate labradors, grey rabbits and guinea pigs!

20. Jack the Ripper’s predicted victim

Image Source/ National GeographicOn 29th September 1888 London was rife with crime. Around 8.30pm, Catherine Eddowes was spotted, lying drunkenly on the street in Aldgate. Taken to the police station for her behaviour, she was asked for her name. Catherine lied and gave a fake name. What name did she give? Mary Kelly. Later that same night, notorious East End murderer, Jack the Ripper struck, killing Catherine Eddowes. The twist? He later found his second victim of the night, a woman named Mary Kelly…

21. WW1 - first and last lost soldiers

Image Source/ Forces.netIn an eerie coincidence, the very first and very last British soldiers to lose their lives in the First World War are buried just a few metres apart from each other in Belgium’s Saint Symphorien cemetery. The headstones, which are facing each other, are just 6m apart - and can be captured in a single, poignant image.

22. A message in a bottle…

Image Source/ iStockFred and Lynette Dubendorf are good citizens - when strolling along their local beach one evening, with their dog, they chose to pick up rubbish. Among the usual litter they found something extraordinary - a small, plastic bottle screwed up tightly and containing a message. Upon inspection, the message was a copy of a couple’s recent wedding vows, presumably tossed out to sea as a memento of their day. At second glance, Fred and Lynette spotted something special: they shared the same date of marriage with the newlyweds! Safe to say they got in touch with them to share the coincidence and wish them a happy marriage.

23. Our paths have crossed before...

Image Source/ TelegraphNow this will blow your mind… couple Aimee Maiden and Nick Wheeler were enjoying a quiet afternoon looking through their respective childhood photos. In between laughing at the hair styles and fashion choices, the couple couldn’t believe their eyes… Despite growing up over 300 miles away from one another, Nick and his family had taken a holiday to the beach near Aimee’s English hometown. In a photo capturing Nick’s summer holiday on the beach, Aimee and her family can be seen sitting right behind! You can’t help but feel it was meant to be.

24. The long lost novel

Image Source/ Open MagazineAnthony Hopkins took his acting career very seriously. When he was preparing for his role in The Girl from Petrovka he sought to find a copy of the novel on which the film is based. He struggled to find the rare book until one surprising day he came across an abandoned copy when riding the subway! What’s more, when Hopkins later met the author and shared his story, he was met with bewilderment - “That’s funny,” said the author, “I’m also struggling to find a copy - I lent my last one to a friend and he left it on the subway!”

25. Meteor madness

Image Source/ ZumaDid you know that the chance of you being killed by a meteor is 1 in 1,600,000! Damage to property by meteor shower is also extremely rare but does happen. And happen it did to one family home in France. Amazingly, the family’s surname was ‘Commette’ which of course made the story all the more newsworthy. Fortunately nobody was hurt but they were left feeling rather awestruck!

26. Predicting your own death...

Image Source/ GrungeTalking of comets, famous writer Mark Twain was clearly thinking about the phenomenon when, in 1909, he predicted his death. Writing in 1909 about Halley's Comet, which passes the earth every 76 years, he wrote "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it." You guessed it, with the arrival of the comet the following year in 1910, Mark Twain bid his farewell to the world.

27. Terrorist escape

Image Source/ New York TimesThe horrendous terrorist attack in Paris in 2015 had nearly 100 casualties. For one American man named Matthew, he lived to tell the tale after playing dead (even after he was shot). Horrifically, this wasn’t Matthew’s first near-death terrorist experience - on September 11th 2001 when planes hit the twin towers, he narrowly avoided being killed as he was en route to his meeting albeit running late.

28. Like mother, like daughter. Like father, like son.

Image Source/ stephenchahnlee.medium.comStephen and Helen Lee had recently got engaged when they made a shocking discovery. Although they both lived in New York, the pair’s families were Korean and were in fact closer than they ever realised… Back in the 60s, Helen’s mother and Stephen’s late father (pictured) were due to marry but, due to their unaproving parents, it never went ahead. Helen’s mother was flabbergasted and you would imagine Stephen’s late father would have felt the same way too. What a love story!

29. Twinspiracy

Image Source/ ABC10Helen Mae Cook and Clara Mae Mitchell were identical twins, born on February 2nd 1932. Like most twins, the pair were inseparable and were reported to have a solid connection throughout their lives. Born on the same day, the chances of the sisters dying on the same day seemed impossible but that’s exactly what happened. Clara died of a heart attack and just hours later, Helen passed. Helen had Alzheimer’s for 6 years so the fact she died that day was neither predictable or in the slightest bit likely. Twins really are connected on a deeper level, don’t you agree?

30. Twitter twin

Image Source/ BuzzfeedWhen Morgan Knight’s friends tried to find her on Twitter they naturally searched her name. Crazily, not only did they find plenty of possible Morgan Knights, they found one girl who looked exactly like their own friend. Doppelgänger anyone!?