36 Bizarro Cultural Touchstones From the ‘80s and ‘90s That Might Explain Why Millennials Are Like That

The clothes. The dancing. The voices. You know what we’re talking about

Authors: By Jesse
Published: April 20, 2024
Comments: 0

28 Trivia Tidbits About Pop Culture That’s Aged Poorly

Forget the Oscar slap, ever heard Will Smith’s cringey ‘80s lyrics?

Authors: By Jay L'Ecuyer, Cracked Writers
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 3

Four ChatGPT Experiments That Failed Hilariously

You’re gonna want to find someone else to play ‘Red Dead Redemption’ with

Authors: By Amanda Mannen
Published: April 20, 2024
Comments: 0

30 Random Bits of Trivia We Pickpocketed From Tourists in the Red Light District

Facts dangling from the inside of our trench coats

Authors: By Cracked Writers, Jay L'Ecuyer
Published: April 20, 2024
Comments: 0

26 Funny Facepalm Moments

‘They should make a Blockbuster, but for books’

Authors: By Ian Garner
Published: April 20, 2024
Comments: 0

13 Historical Coincidences That Are Straight Bananas

By:: JhallComics; Cracked Writers

February 08, 2022

13 Historical Coincidences That Are Straight Bananas

What are coincidences? This is a question that has been asked by many people over the years. The answer, however, is not as simple as you may think it is. Coincidences can be defined as events that happen by chance and are seemingly unrelated. However, there are those who believe that there is more to coincidences than meets the eye. Some say that these random occurrences are actually messages from a higher power or signs from the universe. Whether you believe in this or not is up to you, but there is no denying that coincidences can be both strange and mysterious. So, what do you think? Are coincidences just a coincidence, or could they be something more?

When it comes to coincidences, some people believe in them, and some don't. But sometimes, the coincidences that happen are just too strange for words. Here are some examples of historical coincidences that will make you say, "what the heck?"

Whether or not you believe in them, these bizarre events will certainly make you wonder what could have been going on. Keep reading to find out more about these wacky coincidences!

13

THE JET ENGINE WAS INVENTED BY BOTH SIDES DURING WORLD WAR II. CRACKED.COM The first jet engine was invented by British engineer Sir Frank Whittle in 1940, after drawing up blueprints as early as 1929. In 1939, German physicist Hans von Ohain built the first fully operational jet engine. They met after the war ended. — More: 12 Uncanny Instances Of Simultaneous Invention

12

THE FIRST AND LAST MAN TO DIE DURING THE BUILDING OF THE HOOVER DAM WERE RELATED. John Gregory TraDney CRACKED COM enct engineer! and J. G. Tierney died during the Hoover Dam Project on December 20th, 1922. 111 more men would die in the years it took to complete, the last being his son, Patrick Tierney, who died 13 years to the day after his father. — More: 29 Coincidences That Shred Reality

11

ONE MAN HAD A COSMIC TARGET ON HIS HOUSE. CRACKED.COM Bosnian man Radivoke Lajic had his house pelted with meteorites. The odds of one strike is 1 out of 20 trillion. Lajic's home was hit 6 times. We are not smart enough to calculate the odds of 6 meteorite strikes, but suffice it to say, it's unusual. — More: 20 Completely Impossible Coincidences (That Really Happened)

10

A MAN CAUGHT THE SAME BABY FALLING OUT OF THE SAME WINDOW, TWICE. GRACKED COM When Joseph Figlock was walking down the streets of Detroit in the 1930s, the last thing he expected was to catch a falling baby, but catch one he did. A year later, unthinkably, the same baby fell from the same window, and Figlock was there on the street to catch it once again. — More: 29 Coincidences That Shred Reality

9

TWINS, SEPARATED AT BIRTH, LIVED ALMOST IDENTICAL LIVES. CRACKED COM Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were twins, separated at birth. Their adoptive parents both named them Jim, both men married twice, first to women named Linda, and then to women named Betty, both had childhood dogs named Toy, had sons named James Allen/Alan, both worked as sheriff deputies, and drove the same Chevrolet. — More: 20 Completely Impossible Coincidences (That Really Happened)

8

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS WAS DISCOVERED AND PUBLISHED BY TWO MEN, A YEAR APART FROM EACH OTHER. y MIB IVB VIB Viie VIII ID 18 AT الا VE UB XI I Aluminum Selecon Phosphane but Chlorine 3R 4B 5B 68 78 28 26.MISM 28.2000 38377762 32.000 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Ni a Your - ON 08-0004 46 54 Sr Pd Palledium is 100.0 74 86 la Pt - 100 Platinum 100.00 110 Ü Ds la S Dermatodo - per 64 ide G u George 1993 MMP 96 — More: 12 Uncanny Instances Of Simultaneous Invention

7

AN ASTRONOMER DIED MOMENTS AFTER GIVING A LECTURE ON THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF DEATH. CRACKED.COM South African astronomer Danie du Toit gave a lecture warning that death could come at any time. Concluding his speech, he popped a peppermint into his mouth and sat down, promptly choking to death. — More: 29 Coincidences That Shred Reality

6

THE HISTORY OF ROME IS BOOKENDED BY ROMULUS AND AUGUSTUS. ROMVLVS N D AVGVSTVS A s F.AVC AVGVSTVLVS C XXV CRACKED COM Tradition states that Rome was founded by Romulus (and his twin, Remus) in 753 В.С. Augustus, the hero who defeated Mark Antony, was Rome's first emperor in 31 В.С. As luck would have it, it was the deposition of Romulus Augustus which marks the fall of Rome in 476 A.D. — More: 29 Coincidences That Shred Reality

5

THE SUN AND MOON APPEAR THE SAME SIZE WHEN VIEWED FROM EARTH BECAUSE OF AN ODD SYMMETRY. CRACKED.COM The sun's diameter is 400 times larger than the moon's, and it is 400 times further from Earth. This allows the moon to perfectly eclipse the sun when it passes, but this splendor isn't permanent - the moon is slowly moving out of Earth's orbit, at about 1.5 inches a year. — More: 20 Completely Impossible Coincidences (That Really Happened)

4

NAPOLEON AND HITLER'S LIVES WERE STRANGELY PARALLEL. CRACKED.COM Napoleon and Hitler were born 129 years apart, came into power 129 years apart, declared war with Russia 129 years apart, and were defeated 129 years apart from one another. If Hitler had just looked at Wikipedia, he could have treated it like a Farmer's Almanac. — More: 29 Coincidences That Shred Reality

3

THE MICROCHIP WAS INVENTED BY TWO PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME. CRACKED.COM Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce independently invented the microchip within half a year of each other, in 1958 and 1959, respectively. Only Kilby lived long enough to receive a Nobel Prize for the invention. — More: 12 Uncanny Instances Of Simultaneous Invention

2

A CHILD RELEASED A BALLOON WITH A MESSAGE, AND FOUND HER DOPPELGANGER. CRACKED.COM Laura Buxton released a balloon with her name and address written on it in hopes of getting a pen pal. We cannot stress enough how much you SHOULD NOT do this - but, it worked out for Laura as the balloon made its way to another girl named Laura Buxton, who had the same pets (a labrador, rabbits, and guinea pigs). — More: 20 Completely Impossible Coincidences (That Really Happened)

1

TWO PHYSICISTS DISCOVERED THE SAME THING WITHOUT KNOWING IT. CRACKED COM Japanese physicist Takaaki Kajita and Canadian astrophysicist Arthur В. McDonald shared a Nobel prize in 2015 after both independently proving neutrinos have mass. The press release stated, The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of the universe. — More: 12 Uncanny Instances Of Simultaneous Invention

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

12 Trivia Tidbits for Friday, April 19, 2024

Let these tidbits dance in your children's heads, instead of those dastardly sugarplums

Authors: By Jesse
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 1

Larry David Wants To Wring The Necks Of People Who Call ‘Curb’ Cringe

"I never dreamed in a million years that it would have that kind of effect on people."

Authors: By Matt Solomon
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 0

Bill Burr Visibly Hated Reviewing These Bill Burr Impressions

Jon Lovitz, Andrew Santino, Jay Pharoah and more comics make Burr squirm in his sweater

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 0

The Most Insane Comedy of the Year Is Now on Streaming

‘Hundreds of Beavers’ is unlike any other movie out there

Authors: By JM McNab
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 1

Did Taylor Swift Just Doom Us to Another ‘American Pie’ Sequel?

In ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ the superstar name-dropped a teen sex comedy franchise that doesn’t need a 10th installment

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 2

27 of the Funniest Tweets from Friday, April 19, 2024

Your feet need to come with a trigger warning

Authors: By Ian Garner
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 0

MUST READ

36 Bizarro Cultural Touchstones From the ‘80s and ‘90s That Might Explain Why Millennials Are Like That

The clothes. The dancing. The voices. You know what we’re talking about

Authors: By Jesse
Published: April 20, 2024
Comments: 0

28 Trivia Tidbits About Pop Culture That’s Aged Poorly

Forget the Oscar slap, ever heard Will Smith’s cringey ‘80s lyrics?

Authors: By Jay L'Ecuyer, Cracked Writers
Published: April 19, 2024
Comments: 3

Four ChatGPT Experiments That Failed Hilariously

You’re gonna want to find someone else to play ‘Red Dead Redemption’ with

Authors: By Amanda Mannen
Published: April 20, 2024
Comments: 0