Coincidence Stories From Old Newspapers

I came across these three coincidence stories from back dates of newspapers.

The Day on May 12th 1993

In my words: Staff Sergeant Richard Rondriguez, 32, was shot in the back four times as he sat on a bench in a small neighbourhood park in New York. He was on a weekend visit from the Marines to his parents.

The coincidence? His brother, 27 year old Luis, was shot in exactly the same park 17 months previously.

The park is a paved triangle near their parents apartment and the Bronx Zoo. In the park is a tree on which a cross was placed in 1991 as a memorial to Luis.

Their mother Gloria Rodriguez sadly told The Day. "You just have to be in the wrong place in the wrong time."

Washington Times Jan 5th 2002

Quote: "The world's oldest man, 112-year-old Antonio Todde, who said the secret of his longevity was a daily glass of red wine, died overnight on the Italian island of Sardinia, relatives said yesterday. And in a bizarre coincidence, Italy's oldest woman, 110-year-old Maria Grazia Broccolo, died only hours later in a small town south of Rome."

Sydney Morning Herald March 27th 1986

Quote: "In a bizarre coincidence of foreign policy, the Reagan Administration is conducting simultaneous operations against two of it's most bitter enemies - Libya and Nicaragua.

While the United States has directly attacked the Libyans ... it is being careful to keep its pilots well back from combat areas near the Honduran-Nicaragua border."

President Reagan would do doubt, therefore, be well pleased with the present United Nations. It's a coincidence, of course, that Libya, like Iraq has oil. Oh and Afghanistan has minerals ... but the likes of Zimbabwe have nothing of value.