# The second luckiest living human **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 23, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998 "2009-07-23T15:19:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/1 "2009-07-23T15:19:29Z")
Who’s the second luckiest human alive? (After Ringo Starr, of course) ---
**Author:** ![PotLuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@PotLuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotLuck)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/2 "2009-07-23T15:36:02Z")
Ooh! That Air Force (?) dude who was standing beside a jet fighter (?) and got sucked into it’s engine. Not only did he live to tell the tale, but miraculously escaped with minor injuries. I can’t YouTube at work but I’ve scene the footage on one of those “that’s incredible!”-type shows. It’s so surreal, like a special effect. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/3 "2009-07-23T16:04:28Z")
> [@PotLuck](#): > > Ooh! That Air Force (?) dude who was standing beside a jet fighter (?) and got sucked into it’s engine. Not only did he live to tell the tale, but miraculously escaped with minor injuries. I can’t YouTube at work but I’ve scene the footage on one of those “that’s incredible!”-type shows. It’s so surreal, like a special effect. US Navy I believe ---
**Author:** ![Gam\_Zeh\_Yaavor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@Gam\_Zeh\_Yaavor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gam_Zeh_Yaavor)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/4 "2009-07-23T16:22:57Z")
This guy: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu\_Yamaguchi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Yamaguchi) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/5 "2009-07-23T16:25:31Z")
Me. Oh, wait, I was killed by a sentient feline. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/6 "2009-07-23T16:50:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Me. Oh, wait, I was killed by a sentient feline. Never mind. Not to be snarky, but I believe it was actually by your former lover. You were fighting the sentient feline. You were busy, maybe you didn’t notice. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Why\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@The\_Why\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Why_Bird)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/7 "2009-07-23T18:07:28Z")
> [@Gam\_Zeh\_Yaavor](#): > > This guy: > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu\_Yamaguchi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Yamaguchi) Whilst what this guy went through was amazing, I’m not sure I’d consider him lucky. He had serious injuries, his wife was really ill, he got cancer in later life and I can only imagine the mental torment he went through. Since he lived in one of the cities, it’s a safe bet that he lost friends and/or family members in the bombings. So yeh, lucky to survive, but not as lucky as someone who didn’t get bombed in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![ashman165](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ashman165](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashman165)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/8 "2009-07-23T18:29:07Z")
> [@The\_Why\_Bird](#): > > Whilst what this guy went through was amazing, I’m not sure I’d consider him lucky. He had serious injuries, his wife was really ill, he got cancer in later life and I can only imagine the mental torment he went through. Since he lived in one of the cities, it’s a safe bet that he lost friends and/or family members in the bombings. > > So yeh, lucky to survive, but not as lucky as someone who didn’t get bombed in the first place. In that case, your definition of lucky is someone who never experiences life, never goes out and does stuff. He’s lucky because despite twice being blown up by an atomic bomb, he’s still around to tell the tale. The odds (this it the luck part) of having 2, not just 1 mind you, never before known pieces of atomic bombing technology dropped on you _and_ not dying like everyone else around is pretty freaking lucky in my mind. I was originally going to vote for someone else, but that guy wins hands down I think. ---
**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/9 "2009-07-23T19:16:46Z")
> [@ashman165](#): > > In that case, your definition of lucky is someone who never experiences life, never goes out and does stuff. All of the other people who have never survived two atomic bombs (so, basically, everyone who has ever existed except for this one guy) take issue with this statement. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/10 "2009-07-23T19:42:13Z")
Harrison Schmitt He was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 17. Unlike the rest of the Apollo astronauts (not counting Skylab), he was not a military aviator or test pilot. Schmitt was a geologist, one of several scientist-astronauts selected by NASA despite the objections of many at the time. They actually bumped another astronaut, Joe Engle, to make room for Schmitt when Apollo 18 was canceled. While we can certainly say Schmitt made his own luck by being a good geologist, and doing what was necessary to be selected as an astronaut, he most definitely was in the right place at the right time. ---
**Author:** ![ashman165](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ashman165](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashman165)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/11 "2009-07-23T20:42:16Z")
> [@supergoose](#): > > All of the other people who have never survived two atomic bombs (so, basically, everyone who has ever existed except for this one guy) take issue with this statement. That was kind of my point in writing it so facetiously in response to the person I was quoting. Thank you for pointing that out for anyone not reasonable enough to catch on. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/12 "2009-07-23T20:45:34Z")
Well, George W. Bush was mighty lucky to be born into a prominent family and to have 100% name recognition before ever ran for governor of Texas. If his name had been George W. Smith, there’s no way he’d have gpotten as far as he did. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/13 "2009-07-23T21:08:24Z")
> [@ashman165](#): > > That was kind of my point in writing it so facetiously in response to the person I was quoting. Thank you for pointing that out for anyone not reasonable enough to catch on. No, you misunderstand both The Why Bird’s and supergoose’s posts, and probability in general. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/14 "2009-07-23T21:25:49Z")
Vesna Vulovic. She was a flight attendant on a Yugoslavian airliner that broke up in mid-air, probably due to a bomb. She fell 33,000 feet (over 6 miles) without a parachute and managed to live. Everyone else on the plane died. ---
**Author:** ![ashman165](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ashman165](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashman165)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/15 "2009-07-23T21:31:47Z")
> [@Mojo\_Pin](#): > > No, you misunderstand both The Why Bird’s and supergoose’s posts, and probability in general. Aww. How cute. Somehow baseless, mindless assertions seem profound to you. You must do better. The probability of being hit by a yet unknown, never before ever known event is, well, I’d say rare. And when it usually results in the death of all things around it, surviving is quite rare I’d say. Then to have it happen again a couple of days later is, well, you got me, very common. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/16 "2009-07-23T21:40:46Z")
Wasn’t there some guy who survived the Titanic, the Lusitania, and a whole host of other travel disasters? ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/17 "2009-07-23T21:40:54Z")
Er, what are you talking about, **ashman**? The whole point is that when freakishly unlikely things that are bad happen to you, that doesn’t make you lucky, it makes you unlucky. Being condescending about it doesn’t mean you weren’t wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/18 "2009-07-23T21:48:23Z")
> [@ashman165](#): > > Aww. How cute. Somehow baseless, mindless assertions seem profound to you. > [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Being condescending about it doesn’t mean you weren’t wrong. This is getting out of line for MPSIMS, so let’s reel it in. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/19 "2009-07-23T21:54:19Z")
> [@The\_Why\_Bird](#): > > Whilst what this guy went through was amazing, I’m not sure I’d consider him lucky. He had serious injuries, his wife was really ill, he got cancer in later life and I can only imagine the mental torment he went through. Since he lived in one of the cities, it’s a safe bet that he lost friends and/or family members in the bombings. > > So yeh, lucky to survive, but not as lucky as someone who didn’t get bombed in the first place. This article is somewhat apropos: [http://timesonline.typepad.com/times\_tokyo\_weblog/2009/03/the-luckiest-or.html](http://timesonline.typepad.com/times_tokyo_weblog/2009/03/the-luckiest-or.html) > [@](#): > > Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Akira Iwanaga and Kuniyoshi Sato are either the luckiest or the unluckiest men alive, and after three days in their company and long hours of conversation, I still had no idea which. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ashman165](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ashman165](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashman165)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998/20 "2009-07-23T22:09:33Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Er, what are you talking about, **ashman**? > > The whole point is that when freakishly unlikely things that are bad happen to you, that doesn’t make you lucky, it makes you unlucky. Of course, you’re right. It’s unlucky that it happened in the first case. But it’s not fair to say that surviving it is also unlucky. So, he shared the same misfortune as all the other people save a minor detail: he was bombed twice and survived it both times. Of course, we can’t really say how many people survived the first one to get done in the second one. So that’s a wash. But unlike all the other people who died in either of them, he lived through both. I wouldn’t call that unlucky. Unless, of course, you have a narrow view that if one unlucky thing happens to one in life, that all subsequent events related to it or not are necessarily unlucky because of the original event. I’m more of an optimist: unlucky to get bombed either time, let alone both, lucky to have lived through them both and to have had a productive live despite the bombing, which is only, one can presume, based upon the sheer fortune of not having died in either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-luckiest-living-human/503998.md?page=2)