Biggest coincidences in recorded history

I am placing this in pre-1900 because that is probably where most examples can be found, but if you have a good example from after 1900, please share.

So many pivotal episodes in human history have turned on events that were incredibly improbable in hindsight. Thanks to Harry Turtledove, one example that is commonly cited in alternate history is the random discovery of Robert E. Lee’s Special Order 191 by Union soldiers before the Battle of Antietam.

With that in mind, what were some of the biggest coincidences in history? “Biggest” both in the sense that the odds of the event happening were probably astonishingly low, and in the sense that they had huge ramifications. How would history have unfolded differently without these coincidences? To be clear, I am talking about single events - I have heard people argue that, say, the conquests of Alexander the Great were extraordinarily lucky even in hindsight, but that was a series of many events.
 
I am placing this in pre-1900 because that is probably where most examples can be found, but if you have a good example from after 1900, please share.

So many pivotal episodes in human history have turned on events that were incredibly improbable in hindsight. Thanks to Harry Turtledove, one example that is commonly cited in alternate history is the random discovery of Robert E. Lee’s Special Order 191 by Union soldiers before the Battle of Antietam.

With that in mind, what were some of the biggest coincidences in history? “Biggest” both in the sense that the odds of the event happening were probably astonishingly low, and in the sense that they had huge ramifications. How would history have unfolded differently without these coincidences? To be clear, I am talking about single events - I have heard people argue that, say, the conquests of Alexander the Great were extraordinarily lucky even in hindsight, but that was a series of many events.

Caesar adopting Octavius.

It was done because Octavius was his grandnephew. Not because he saw ability. After all, Octavius is just a sickly boy, physically weak, is always on death's door, and wasn't impressive. How could such a weakling boy go against the great Cicero or the great Mark Antony or even Brutus?

It was just a coincidence that Octavius was really gifted politically, and would be destined to be the greatest Emperor Rome had.
 
Caesar adopting Octavius.

It was done because Octavius was his grandnephew. Not because he saw ability. After all, Octavius is just a sickly boy, physically weak, is always on death's door, and wasn't impressive. How could such a weakling boy go against the great Cicero or the great Mark Antony or even Brutus?

It was just a coincidence that Octavius was really gifted politically, and would be destined to be the greatest Emperor Rome had.

Caesar spoke quite often with Octavius in his last years, he must’ve seen potential there, I doubt it was that much of a coincidence.
 
The last three crowned monarchs belonging to the House of Capet, the House of Valois and the House of Bourbon were brothers, and the French kingdom was founded after three brothers split among themselves their father’s empire.
 
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The last three monarchs belonging to the House of Capet, the House of Valois and the House of Bourbon were brothers, and the French kingdom was founded after three brothers split among themselves their father’s empire.
Jean le Posthume makes that statement wrong.
 
Admittedly, it's hardly an earth shattering historical occurrence. Still, two completely unrelated comic strips named "Dennis the Menace", one in the UK and the other in the US, debuted about one week apart in 1951.
 
A well-known coincidence is that the last West Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, had the names of the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus and (in diminutive form) of the first Emperor, Augustus. (But - Julius Nepos was still alive in Dalmatia, and he still considered himself Emperor.)
 
The biggest one is probably the car of Franz-Ferdinand stopping in front of Gavrilo Princip because the driver was following the wrong route and had to turn around right in front of where Princip was having a cup of coffee.
If the destruction of the old order of Europe from a thing like that doesn't count I do not know what does.
 

Kaze

Banned
There was a US Marine unit sent to French Indo-China to rescue a Freedom Fighter from a Japanese encirclement. Jump ahead a few years, that same unit must be rescued FROM that same Freedom Fighter in the Vietnam War.

Then the Renaissance masters of Italy - All of them. They all knew each other and lived at the same time, competing for the same commissions.
 

Kaze

Banned
Peter Cushing (26 May 1913), Christopher Lee (27 May 1922 ), Vincent Price (27 May 1911) , and one other famous horror actor was born in the same week - in different years, but all could celibate their birthdays together. It is like someone up there - or down there - decided that good actors would be born within days of each other.
 
Deaths of older brothers:
How would lives of George Washington and John Kennedy been affected if their older brothers (Lawrence Washington - actually his half brother - and Joe Kennedy) not died?

Deaths of sons.
How would the presidencies of Franklin Pierce (recent timeline on this) and Calvin Coolidge changed if there sons had not died while they were president or about to become president?
 
Then the Renaissance masters of Italy - All of them. They all knew each other and lived at the same time, competing for the same commissions.

That's not actually that surprising -- given the patronage system of the time, it was perfectly natural for talented artists to be drawn to wealthy patrons, which explains the "competing for the same commissions" and "all knew each other" bits, at least.
 
Funny one, James Wilkes Booth’s older brother , Edwin Booth, saved Robert Todd Lincoln’s life one year before the younger Booth killed his father, Abraham Lincoln.
 
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