Many people believe that everything happens for a reason, and that some omnipresent being is responsible for everything that occurs down here. This so

Many people believe that everything happens for a reason, and that some omnipresent being is responsible for everything that occurs down here. This sort of belief often arises during strange moments that end getting reduced to being nothing more than a strange coincidence. Maybe it’s the work of the divine, or perhaps we’re just overthinking things. Either way, here are five examples of history’s most unsettling coincidences. 1. The Nebraska Church Explosion On March 1, 1950, the West Side Baptist Church suddenly went up in flames at 7:25 p.m., five minutes after choir practice was supposed to begin. Thankfully, no one was hurt, because for some strange reason, every single one of the 15 members just happened to be running late. The Reverend lit the furnace then went back home after his daughter’s dress got dirty. Two members struggled to get their car started and a highschool student was stuck on a math question. Another was held up while writing a letter and a woman was helping her mother. 2. Abraham Lincoln’s Assassinator’s Brother Saved His Son’s Life We all know of how President Lincoln’s life came to an untimely end by the hands of a man named John Wilkes Booth. But there’s an interesting side to this story. The assassinator’s brother, Edwin, saved the life of the president’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln. Apparently, Robert, while on a break from college, Robert was knocked off a train platform, and it wasn’t long till the train started taking off. It was then that Edwin sprung in action and pulled the young man out of danger. By the way, this occurred a mere year or two before Lincoln’s death. 3. The Baby Catcher Every year, at least 4,000 children under the age of 10 become injured after falling from windows. Most of the time there’s no one insight to catch them, except for Joseph Figlock, who just so happened to be in the right place, at the right time. The first incident occurred in 1938, when a baby girl landed on him after falling from a nearby building. Both sustained minor injuries but made a full recovery. Then one year later, a two-year-old boy fell on him while he was cleaning an alley. And like the first incident both got a little hurt, but survived. 4. The Life and Death of George Story From the moment of his birth on November 23, 1936, George Story had his photo taken by Life magazine which was captioned with the clever wordplay, “Life Begins.” The picture was that of young George being delivered by a doctor. Years passed and Life would check in on George who later became a journalist. When Life magazine came to an end in 2000, they decided to take one final photo of George with the caption “A Life Ends.” But that never happened as George passed away two days before the scheduled date due to a congestive heart failure. 5. The Taxi Brothers This one is the tale of two brothers who died one year apart, because of the same taxi driver, while carrying the same passenger too. What makes this story even trippier is that both brothers were 17 at the time of their deaths, while riding the same scooter, and even the exact spot of the same street. It’s easy to think this is all made up, but there are newsletters from 1974 and 1975 that mentioned the story. There’s even a 1974 newsletter from a Bermuda worker’s union offering a small message of sympathy after the passing of a 17-year-old.

History’s Most Unsettling Coincidences

Recent Posts

Categories

Get AnyTrivia in your inbox.