I like a good coincidence.
Even the definition is magical.
A coincidence is a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.
Remarkable. And without apparent connection. The Universe either bumping into itself, or playing a very good prank.
Throughout history, there have been some notable coincidences. Here are a few.
• The flags of Haiti and Lichtenstein used to be identical by complete coincidence. The uncanny similarity wasn’t discovered until the two nations competed against each other in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Surprises, flapping in the wind. But, to note, they are no longer identical.
• Here is a whacky one, especially since I love crossword puzzles. In 1944 by a huge coincidence, a crossword puzzle of the Daily Telegraph was printed. All of the answers contained D-Day operation “code names.” Of course, this sent MI5 into a panic mode, thinking their invasion plans had been discovered. But no. Five across, a five-letter word for cooked meat juices, turned out to be “gravy” and had no connection to the D-Day assault.
•. This one seems like the Universe being tricky. Okay. A 10-year-old girl named Laura Buxton from Blurton, Staffordshire, England, released a balloon with her name and address on it. That balloon went up in the air and, incredibly, floated 140 miles before it came back down to Earth and landed in the backyard of a house. And at that house also lived another 10-year-old girl named Laura Buxton. They connected through writing and calling and eventually visiting one another. Each one of them had a 3-year-old black Labrador Retriever, a white pet rabbit, and a guinea pig. They both were on swim teams, and their parents were both married the same year. They continued to stay in touch discovering many more coincidences. Two Laura Buxtons. Each ten. Apart and then together.
• When I think of Arm & Hammer, I think of baking soda, not board meetings. But. Someone named Armand Hammer sat on the Board of Directors for the parent company of Arm & Hammer, and it was all just a coincidence. The only thing better would have been if Armand’s dad sold hammers for a living. Or was an arm doctor.
• From one store shelf to another. How about the LEGO? In Dutch, the word “lego” means “play well.” And in Latin, it translates to “I put together.” The LEGO Company says this is merely a coincidence. Either way, it is pretty snappy.
• And. Finally. Mark Twain was born and died exactly in coincidence with the appearance of Halley’s Comet. Now that is really something, some 74 years apart, these two events. Coincidentally.
The wide open Universe. And we are all lucky to be living here. No coincidence there. I hope.
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“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
― Mark Twain
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“It’s hard to believe in coincidence, but it’s even harder to believe in anything else.”
― John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson
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“Coincidences mean you’re on the right path.”
― Simon Van Booy, Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories
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The things that come together, exactly, coincidentally
