People have been left gobsmacked by the story of two twins who were separated at birth but lived almost identical lives.
Known as the Jim twins, Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were put up for adoption as babies and grew up in separate homes 40 miles from each other in Ohio, US. It wasn’t until they were 39 that they finally reunited – only to discover they’d practically lived the same life.
The Jim twins were born in 1940 and the uncanny similarities began when their adoptive parents chose the same name for each baby. But the parallels didn’t stop there.
Both twins had an adoptive brother named Larry and a dog called Toy growing up. As they got older they both trained in law enforcement.
Perhaps most creepily of all, both twins married twice, and both sets of wives had the same name. First they each married a woman named Linda before getting divorced and wedding two different Bettys. The Jims also both had sons, who they named James Allan and James Alan.
Twins often share personality traits, and at school, both had a preference for woodwork and maths while spelling was not their forte. Both chain-smoked, suffered from migraines and drove a Chevrolet.
But there was one glaring difference between the pair – while Jim Lewis knew he had a biological brother somewhere out there, Jim Springer had been told his twin had passed away as a baby. The siblings didn’t meet until the former got his brother’s details from an Ohio courthouse and reached out.
While Jim Springer didn’t know his brother was still alive, he confessed he felt an “emptiness” growing up. The pair were eventually recruited for a psychological study by Dr Thomas Bouchard from the University of Minnesota, who found their medical histories, brain-wave tests and personality tests were practically identical.
People on social media have been left astounded by the story, which has recently resurfaced on Reddit. One person wrote: “I’ve read so many studies about twins who live similar lives but separated at birth. It’s so amazing the likenesses.”
Another replied: “How many choices are truly ours?”. Meanwhile a third chimed in: “My brain can’t even comprehend, truly wild.”
Meanwhile another joked: “Fascinating read, thanks for posting. Note: Toy is such a dumb name for a dog.”
Source: Mirror UK
