67 Not Out Readers Coincidence Stories - 6

It's time again for five more 67 Not Out Reader's Coincidence Stories. My thanks to the contributors - appreciated very much.

Sometimes coincidences aren't exactly earth shattering but they can still be very meaningful for the person concerned, as in the case of the first story from Amber. Three of the stories feature numbers.

A message from her father
Hello again (Amber also had a story included previously here)

I had another coincidence yesterday that meant a whole lot to me and I wanted to share with you.

My dear father passed away two years ago and yesterday was his birthday. I went to the grocery store and got some items and my total came out to 6.59.

The significance of that is, a few years ago we were both on our local volunteer rescue squad together, and you are assigned numbers to identify yourself on the radio. My fathers just so happened to be 659.

I've never gotten anything with a total of 659 and it was very special to get it on his birthday. I took it as a special message he was looking down on me.

Thanks for your time.
- Amber

Duplicate numbers coincidence
Yesterday I received a PIN number for a new credit card I had ordered. As per normal the number consisted of four numbers. The coincidence is that they were exactly the same as for a credit card that I already have. Must be quite big odds on this happening.
- Tom

50 years later the date was the same
My friend was doing up an old house so I offered to give him a helping hand. We got set into removing an old fireplace in the main living room. As we gradually eased the thing away from the wall we saw there was an old newspaper hidden in a kind of alcove.

After removing the fireplace completely and dumping it in a skip outside we remembered the newspaper. "Look at this," said my friend, "The newspaper is the same day as today."

I wasn't too sure what he meant but I took a look and the date on the paper was October 1st 1960. The date we were removing the fireplace was October 1st 2010, exactly 50 years later.
- Bob

This next coincidence is very much like the previous one, so I guess that's another coincidence.

Forecasting the date of our baby
We married two years ago and were renovating a house we had moved into. At the time I was pregnant so my husband did most of the heavy work, while I supervised! He was working in what was to be our bedroom and there was a boarded up fireplace, but the previous owners hadn't done a very good job of it.

My husband knocked in the boarded up part so he could re-plaster the area to make it all smooth with the rest of the wall. Behind the board was part of a newspaper, at the top was the date of June 23 (1970).

Nothing too strange in this but our baby was born a few months later on June 23rd. I don't know if this was some kind of prediction or an omen. We called the baby June (it was a girl!) and I'm called April. I'm pregnant again but I can't see us calling a son or daughter February!
- April

Found and lost
I've been reading your blog and I love it! Lately, I have been on this trip and the more I get into it, the more 'coincidences' occur. I have been getting my friend into this as well.

Anyway, as dancers, we usually leave our stuff in the backstage during performances. Before leaving, I found this really nice canister for coffee/ water and no one was claiming it. I asked all the people in the area and no one knew whose it was. I decided to take it and give it to another friend who said she needed one.

Funny thing is, I found out that the mug belonged to my friend whose into coincidences as well. I gave her back the mug days after and apologized.

Couple more days after, I decided to look for the clothes I wore the day of the performance to do the laundry. I couldn't find the pants I used for the show.

I slept over in another house so I thought I must have left it there. Looking for it for a day and a half, I was told that my friend - whose mug I sort of stole - found a pair of pants the same day I found the canister.

I contacted her and turns out, she actually had it! It's too much of a coincidence right? And after that, I realized how fast karma works sometimes.
- Bea

If you have an interesting coincidence suitable for publication on 67 Not Out please send it using the 'Contact' button under the header of this blog. Will be happy to link to you from the story, if you also have a blog or website. Many thanks, Mike.

More 67 Not Out Reader's Coincidences
67 Not Out Reader's Coincidences - 4
67 Not Out Reader's Coincidences - 2

The Mystery And Enigma Of The Number 23

I had an interesting email from Juliette Garside with a coincidence about the number 23. The gist of the story was that Julliette had been seeing the number 23 all over the place during the last few weeks.

I'm not a numerologist and must admit I don't know a lot about specific numbers, though I have heard of the 23 enigma. As I was born on July 23, I thought it might be interesting to hunt through to see if I could find any significance to this number.

(1) The first thing I found was that the Ancient Egyptians welcomed a New Year on July 23, this is supposedly the day Sirius rises behind the sun.

(2) I then read that the author William Burroughs was obsessed with coincidence and the number 23, so much so that he kept a record of his findings. The story is that Burroughs first got to thinking about the number's 'power' when a Captain Clark told him he had run a ferry from Spain to Morocco without any problems for 23 years. Hours later his ferry sank and the Captain was killed.

While Burroughs was pondering this example there was a bulletin on the radio announcing the crash of an airliner in Florida, USA. The pilot was another captain Clark and it was Flight 23.

So I dug further and here are a few other 23 coincidences, some more serious than others.

(3) The great William Shakespeare was born on April 23 and also popped his clogs on April 23.

(4) So Shakespeare had two 23s in his life and 2 x 23 = 46. If we take a copy of a Bible and turn to Psalm 46 and count 46 words from the beginning this will arrive at the word 'shake'. If we do a similar thing at the end of the same Psalm - this time counting back 46 words the word you will find is 'spear'. And, of course if you put 'shake' and 'spear' together you get - well I'm sure you can work that out!

(5) Staying on a Bible theme the first Morse code transmission was said to have been 'What hath God Wrought'. And this is from Numbers 23:23.

(6) The Knights Templar had 23 Grand Masters.

(7) The Japanese car manufacturer Nissan must believe in the power of 23 because 'ni' is 2 and 'san' is 3 in Japanese. So Nissan is 23, well sort of.

(8) The Latin alphabet has 23 letters.

(9) In the movie Airport the bomber has seat 23.

(10) The earth rotates on an axis or 23 and a half degrees.

(11) Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times when he was assassinated, though not too sure how we can be absolutely certain of this.

(12) David Beckham, probably the most famous soccer player, has 23 on his football shirt.

(13) Michael Jordan also wore the number 23 for the Chicago Bulls - and his father was murdered on July 23.

(14) Also on July 23 (1996) the Mysterious Eyes of the comet Hale-Bopp were first noticed.

(15) It takes 23 seconds for the blood to circulate throughout the body.

(16) In the movie Die Hard III the train is derailed in subway station 23.

(17) 23dians are a group who see 23 in various combinations during daily life and subscribe to the mystical power of 23.

(18) Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes at the start of a new life. Egg and sperm cells in humans each have 23 chromosomes - these fuse and divide to create an embryo.

(19) W is the 23rd letter of the alphabet and has two points downward and three points upwards.

(20) The Biorhythm cycle is normally 23 days.

(21) December 23, 2012 is the date feared by many. The end of the Mayan calender.

(22) Adolf Hitler organized the National Socialist Congress on January 23.

(23) In mathematics 23 is the first Prime Number in which both digits are Prime Numbers and add up to another Prime Number.

I finished the examples with the one above, counted the number I had written and there were 23 - so I decided to number them!

Some will say that we can always find stuff about any chosen number but sometimes there are significant numbers in our lives. I am proud to be a 23 - well sort of, really I'm all 6s and 7s.

Further Reading:
Coincidence Of Lucky Numbers
The Coincidence Of The Numbers Of Life
The Bulgarian Lottery Numbers Coincidence

The Sixth Sense Between Soul Mates

Paula Byrne made me smile when she wrote in the Daily Mail newspaper a few days ago, 'My husband and I have got sixth sense. The trouble is, I don't always want to know what he's thinking!'

Unfortunately my wife is the opposite, she likes to know what I'm thinking and again, unfortunately, often does!

Paula is convinced that she and her husband are 'soul mates' and, because of this, they have a telepathic connection. She says that when apart they will pick up the phone and call each other at precisely the same time and often to share exactly the same thought or idea.

She gives an example of this when they were deciding if they should make a huge life changing decision, which involved moving and changing jobs. She spent a night fretting about the decision.

As her husband was abroad on business she telephoned him and told him: 'Don't worry, trust me, we must do this. It will all be okay. I've got a strong feeling it will all work out.'

He straight away said: 'That's just what I was about to say to you. I was dialling you when the phone rang.

Paula describes her telepathy with her husband as being 'strange and inexplicable'. She says that since they met sixteen years ago (when they were both married to other people) there was a strange feeling of completion and of 'oneness'.

It was as if Plato's lost twin myth was true. The philosopher told of how we are born as only half of our true selves and wander the earth until we find our twin - our lost other half or soul mate.

Paula believes that this is why telepathy works through some couples. It's simply because they are in fact one. They have found their other half and as such are complete.

This telepathy between linked halves is different from simply being in sync with someone and anticipating their thoughts or feelings. Many couples, if they live together for a long period, begin to mirror each others thoughts. But with a soul mate or Plato's twin it is more than this, far more and could be described as paranormal.

Paula also tells of the time when her second child fell desperately ill with kidney failure. There was another telepathic moment. She asked the doctor if the disease was genetic. That evening she looked at her husband and, without her saying a word, he said, "Yes, you're right, of course we should have another child."

Right from the start of their relationship there was an instant connection and a feeling of, "Oh, so there you are." They had shared tastes, the same favourite piece of music, poem, painting and same favourite Beatle (George).

Telepathy works between soul mates. Another example can be seen in the post Telepathy Between Husband And Wife.

And going back to Paula and her husband, their child Ellie had a kidney transplant which was successful. They both 'knew' she was okay after the operation.

Vietnam Veteran Shocked By 44 Year Old Coincidence

Sometimes a coincidence or coincidences can bring to the surface emotions locked away for years and years. It's as if the final part of the jigsaw is finally put in it's place. This is such a story, first seen in the Star-Telegraph.


Soldiers Laying Down Covering Fire with machinegun - Vietnam 1966
Ada Randall hung a picture of her brother-in-law, Sgt. John E. Miller, in the West Side Cafe, Fort Worth. Sgt. Miller had been killed in South Vietnam nearly 44 years ago.

Galen Taylor was on a break to the area on his way to see his grandchildren. Fancying something to eat he stopped off at the West Side Cafe for some bacon and eggs. As he entered he saw the photo of Sgt. Miller and was instantly reduced to tears.

The cafe's hostess, Angela Rowell, explained, "I saw this big man just burst into tears. I asked him, 'Are you OK, sir?' He just pointed at that picture. Eventually, he managed to get out, 'That's the man whose body I pulled out of Vietnam.'"

Galen Taylor had no idea that John Miller had any connection with Fort Worth. As far as he knew Miller's home town was West Point, Ill. where he was raised with his six brothers and sisters.

Ada Randall, commented, "It was like I had gotten a message from Johnny. It shook me up for several days."

Sgt. Miller had been sent to Vietnam - along with his best friends Wade Linder and Vicente Rodriguez - all of them were members of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry.

On May 12 1966 Vincente Rodriguez was killed and Sgt. Miller had the painful duty of escorting the body from Vietnam back to Pharr in the Rio Grande Valley.

Sgt. Miller had a premonition that he too would be killed. Before he headed back to Vietnam, after the funeral, he sat on the porch of Ada Randall's house in Fort Worth. Randall said, "He didn't think he would come back. I said, 'Oh, don't say things like that.'"

On June 11, 1966, about 9:30 in the morning, Miller was fatally shot in the head just after he single-handedly attacked and silenced a machine gun nest with grenades. He earned the Silver Star posthumously for his bravery. Thirty-four men from 2nd Battalion died that morning in the same firefight. Galen Taylor was wounded.

This time, the third friend, Wade Linder escorted Sgt. Miller's body back to Granbury where he was buried.

Linder insisted on seeing his friend's body in state and pinned the Silver Star on his uniform.

For Galen Taylor, his visit to Fort Worth proved to be deeply satisfying, but stressful too. He had been going to counseling for the last two years for post-traumatic stress caused by feelings and thoughts from Vietnam. These manifested themselves after he retired from working.

"The visit took its toll on me mentally and physically," he said, "But I was very happy to find that picture."

This, however, wasn't to be the end of the story. There was a further coincidence to follow.

After the story became known locally, about Galen Taylor and Sgt. Miller's photo, a Maria Lofton called the Star-Telegram from her home outside Joshua in Johnson County. She told them, "My husband, Staff Sgt. Glen Lofton, was also killed June 11, 1966, and he was in the 28th Infantry. Isn't that a coincidence?"

To say it was a coincidence was an understatement to Taylor. He found it hard to believe that three young men, from different parts of the country, would be in the same infantry unit, the same battle and that all three of their families would eventually make their way to the Fort Worth area.

The three families had all developed Fort Worth ties, unknown to each other for the past 44 years - even though they lived only miles apart.

Galen Taylor was put in contact with Maria Lofton. It was only then that she finally learned the full details of her husband's death. She said, "I never knew how he was killed until I talked to Mr. Taylor"

Everything slotted together because of the photo in the cafe and Galen Taylor fancying some eggs and bacon. But some things are, surely, meant to happen. The final piece of the jigsaw was found and the picture completed.

The Long Necked Cat Photo

A quick Sunday post of a photograph I was sent following Monday's strange cat story. I guess the photo is kind of strange too!

Have a great day!

UFO And Alien Sexual Encounters

Following my post An Alien Abduction With A Sexual Encounter it's clear from the response that this is far from unique within the annals of UFO and alien stories.

Here are some such encounters from British women and men.

Jane Murphy, from Birstall in West Yorkshire, went to bed one night as usual but woke a few hours later completely naked, within a peculiar room surrounded by tall aliens. She estimated them to be about seven feet tall.

In her words one of the alien figures 'seduced' her. She described her experience:

"I looked into his big, black eyes and knew that it was going to happen. Suddenly he was lying on the table and I was lying on top of him. We were embracing but lying perfectly still.

I remember noticing his smell. It wasn't very pleasant, not a human smell at all ... I couldn't tell if he had any clothes on or not because I simply looked into his eyes. All I can remember is those gigantic black eyes ... It seemed so strange lying on top of this stranger ... and enjoying it."

Afterwards she was examined by some of the other aliens and then - suddenly - she was back in her own bed.

Her obvious reaction was to think that this was all a dream but, as she showered the following morning, she found unusual puncture wounds where the aliens had injected her.

Jane visited her doctor and was given antibiotics to cure an infection which lasted for several months. She wasn't pregnant but was plagued by nightmares where she gave birth to a blond, black eyed alien.

Another case, this time male, was Ted Johnson's experience in the Essex countryside. He was travelling down a lonely lane in his car in September 1985 when he became aware of a light in the distance. He stopped his vehicle, got out and then, in his words:

"I saw the light and heard a low whistling sound. The light became so bright it hurt my eyes. Then I was hit by a green light which knocked me to the ground, partially blinding me."

As his sight cleared he saw a woman with "large eyes, a small nose and just a slit for a mouth. She seemed to be glowing." There were also other aliens behind her.

Johnson was led to a UFO or craft where he claims he made love to the woman. He was then returned to his car.

There are dozens of other examples such as Lynda Jones from Manchester. While walking by the Mersey River she saw a disc-like object coming towards her. This suddenly dropped down to near ground level and hovered. She described it as being a grey metallic colour and about sixty feet in diameter.

Understandably she ran towards her home, which was about ten minutes away. The journey, however, took about one-and-a-half hours - even though she felt she never stopped running.

She was later hypnotised and described how she saw figures emerge from the UFO. They took her inside their craft and laid her on a table. All she remembers is, "... them putting something on my legs; it felt like pieces of ice ... bright lights were shone into my eyes."

After a few days strange marks appeared on her body and she went to see her doctor. Lynda said, "My GP said I'd had a miscarriage, but I had not been pregnant." Further examinations found scar tissue on her fallopian tubes.

Reality, imagination, dreams?

One of the strangest stories is that of Kathie Davis who was supposedly visited by aliens since childhood. In her teens she became pregnant following a liaison with one of the aliens.

A few months later the aliens returned and removed her foetus.

Several years passed and the aliens returned once more. They briefly showed her with a little girl, which they said was hers - from her impregnation by a ufonaut. She described the girl as looking "like an elf or an angel."

Some ufologists claim that aliens are conducting a deliberate and sustained programme of genetic sampling and possibly even manipulation among the human race. Others will say that's a load of codswallop.

I guess it's all down to what we want to believe.

Further Reading:
Alien Abduction With A Sexual Encounter
A Dream Or An Alien Encounter
John Lennon's UFO Sighting And Abduction

The Concentration Camp Romantic Coincidence

For the romantics out there - I'm sure there must be a few - this is coincidence story which is also doubles up as a love story.

It goes back to 1944. A young man, Antonin Nowak, just 14 years of age was in a concentration camp in Poland, one of the many injustices of World War II. Through the high fence he often saw a young girl of a similar age and, over the weeks, they became on talking terms. She was Polish and asked him if he was hungry. He told her he was.

The following day she brought him an apple, which she managed to squeeze through the fence and barbed wire. They chatted until the girl had to go home.

After this the girl would try to walk past the camp fence most days looking out for Antonin. She always had an apple in her pocket for the young man and he to looked forward to their conversations. It became his strength to get through each day.

After many visits, with tears in his eyes, he told her not to come to see him any more as he was being transferred to another concentration camp. They said their sad goodbyes and Antonin believed he would never see her again. He realised, as she walked away for a final time, that he didn't even know her name.

He called after her and asked what she was called. She said it was Antonina and he realised the similarity to his own.

Eventually the war ended and Antonin was released from the camp. He didn't really keep in touch with any of his camp comrades. Once he was of the right age he decided to emigrate for a better life. He was unsure where to go: England or the USA. Finally he chose USA.

He settled into the American life but never found romance. In 1957 his new found friends were so frustrated at his lack of success that they fixed him up with a blind date.

He had never met the young woman, Anita, before and during dinner he told her about his life in the concentration camp in Poland. It was as if he knew those pale blue eyes.

She in turn told him how she was in Poland about that time and used to take a tall, thin boy apples most days.

Straight away they realised their connection and immediate feelings for each other flowed. Tears of joy followed and Anita told him how she had changed her name from Antonina.

That night, after just seeing Antonina for a few hours, Antonin proposed to her and said he never wanted to lose her again.

She must have felt the same because a few short weeks later they married. They are now in their early 80s and have lived happily together, as was intended, raising a family and a new dynasty in the US.

Coincidences can change lives and sometimes place us back on the road we should have travelled.

Further Reading:
World War 2 Code names Fourd In Crosswords By Coincidence
Photo Taken Of Father Showed His Missing Daughter
The Meeting That Led To Her Soul Mate