# Weird Coincidences Between Fiction and Real Life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498 "2011-09-24T22:06:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/21 "2011-09-25T23:16:49Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Morgan Robertson wrote a novella titled _Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan_ with a story we’ve all heard before: Various people are aboard the world’s largest luxury liner, a boat opulently furnished and dubbed “unsinkable” by the press, when the ship strikes an iceberg on her starboard side 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland and sinks in the April waters of the North Atlantic, killing over 1,000 people - more than half the passengers. > > In the novel, the liner is christened the “Titan”. So why did Robertson bother to change the Titanic’s name to something so similar, when everyone knows it’s the same damn boat? He didn’t, and it’s not. His book came out [fourteen years](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futility,_or_the_Wreck_of_the_Titan#Similarities_to_the_Titanic) before the disaster. See post #3 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/22 "2011-09-25T23:30:33Z")
I’ve sorta got a near miss that I am pretty glad was one because if it hadn’t been I think things could have got much worse. Everybody knows the Bible and the whole 666 number thing. Certainly the more crazy religious people (that almost seem to want it to be true). IIRC the UN resolution regarding the First Gulf War was number 668. If it had been 666 I suspect it might have been enough of an excuse for the crazies of the world to turn it into a large regional war that might have spread even further. Of course my memory of all this could be crap. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/23 "2011-09-25T23:30:55Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > See post #3 :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/24 "2011-09-25T23:33:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Damfino** : > In an article about Robert A Heinlein, Clarke mentions the prescience in “The Man Who Sold The Moon.” In that story the first man on the Moon was Delos D. Harriman; and, as Clarke notes, the island of Delos was the birthplace of Apollo. That one’s a bit of a stretch. And besides, to nitpick, D. D. Harriman didn’t make the trip; he just financed it. Harriman himself didn’t step foot on the Moon until his deathbed. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/25 "2011-09-25T23:38:13Z")
Another thing: in Robert Heinlein’s Future History series, a theocrat, heretic, and self-proclaimed “prophet” Nehemiah Scudder is elected President in 2012 may be too coincidential for some of our members (though not me). ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/26 "2011-09-25T23:41:07Z")
H. G. Wells’ _The Shape of Things to Come_ (1933) (made into the movie _Things to Come_ (1936)) predicted a world war starting in 1940, involving Germany and Poland, and with significant use of air power and aerial bombardment. > [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > One I like, and which I’m sure has been mentioned on these boards before, is that the Laugh-In TV show predicted Ronald Reagan would be US President in 1988… back in _1968_ in their “News of the Future” segment. Stan Freberg did a parody of Batman called _Flackman & Reagan_ which had a reference to Reagan becoming president, and that was in 1966. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/27 "2011-09-25T23:41:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > One that loops back around to art: On _Star Trek: Voyager_, the ship’s doctor was an emergency medical hologram who’s pressed into full-time service because the human doctor is dead. At one point, he’s complaining that nobody ever turns him off when they’re done seeing him, and ad-libs the line “Damnit, I’m a doctor, not a light switch!”. Except that Robert Picardo, the actor, had never watched any of the Star Trek shows before, and didn’t know about Bones’ famous “Damnit, I’m a doctor, not a \_\_\_\_\_” lines. It’s certainly possible he didn’t know the source, but I find it highly unlikely he’d never heard any version of the “Damnit, I’m a doctor, not a \_\_\_\_\_” line. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/28 "2011-09-25T23:42:19Z")
Oops, looks like the UN resolutions regarding Iraq’s invasion start around 661. This is followed by various others. The one okaying military ass kicking was 678. But to me its still kinda scary that they were hovering on either side of the magic 666. I guess the actual 666 one was okaying the color change for the cover sheets on the UN’s TPS reports. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/29 "2011-09-25T23:42:52Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > IIRC the UN resolution regarding the First Gulf War was number 668. Ah, yes, the next door neighbor of the beast. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/30 "2011-09-25T23:50:31Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Ah, yes, the next door neighbor of the beast. Thats why I remembered it as 668 rather than 678 (I think there is cute short story/book about that. It sounds catchier if you leave out the next door part). ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/31 "2011-09-26T00:32:32Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Arthur C. Clarke supposedly wrote a story about the first lunar landing years before Apollo 11 - and the name he made up for the first man on the moon was Armstrong. (I say supposedly because while I once read this, I don’t recall the name of the story and I can’t find any mention of this online.) I had heard this, but not about Clarke. Turns out it was [“Philip St. John”](http://www.amazon.com/ROCKET-JOCKEY-Lester-Del-Rey/dp/0345306554) who wrote the story. Though it looks like it’s not about the moon landing itself, but references a Major Armstrong who was famously the first in that future. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/32 "2011-09-26T02:08:04Z")
In 2003, the Cubs were seemingly on their way to their first World Series in 58 years, when a fan named Steve Bartman interfered with a potential catch by Cubs leftfielder Moises Alou. Alou couldn’t make the catch on the foul ball. Given a new life, the opponent’s batter walked a few pitches later, starting a huge rally. The Cubs lost that game and the game the night after that, keeping them out of the World Series. In an episode of _Married with Children_ back in 1987, Peggy alluded to a very similar incident involving Al: “Maybe some day they’ll forget about that fan interference call that kept the Cubs out of the World Series and let Daddy back into the stadium.” Video clip of MWC episode: https://player.vimeo.com/video/14930108 ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/33 "2011-09-26T02:18:13Z")
I’m glad nobody has mentioned the one about back to future 2 predicting the Marlins world series victory in 97 before Florida even had a team, as it is not true. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/34 "2011-09-26T04:28:51Z")
Not so much an eerie prediction as a sad commentary on how much advertising sucks, but in “Satisfaction,” Jagger sings that “he can’t be a man 'cause he doesn’t smoke the same cigarette as me.” 50 years later, Miller Light beer is currently running an incredibly stupid campaign based on the premise that if you don’t drink their brand, you’re unmanly. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/35 "2011-09-26T04:31:53Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > In 2003, the Cubs were seemingly on their way to their first World Series in 58 years, when a fan named Steve Bartman interfered with a potential catch by Cubs leftfielder Moises Alou. Alou couldn’t make the catch on the foul ball. Given a new life, the opponent’s batter walked a few pitches later, starting a huge rally. The Cubs lost that game and the game the night after that, keeping them out of the World Series. > [URL=“[MWC- Al is Bartman](http://vimeo.com/14930108)”] ESPN is premiering a movie (called “Catching Hell”) about that incident on Tuesday evening. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/36 "2011-09-26T05:37:08Z")
_The China Syndrome_ was released in theaters just two weeks before the Three Mile Island incident. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/37 "2011-09-26T11:17:53Z")
In the first _Deus Ex_ game (set in 2052), the Twin Towers were left out of the New York skyline because of memory limitations. I don’t think it was mentioned in game, but the developers handwaved their absence by blaming a terrorist attack. The game came out in 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/38 "2011-09-26T17:39:02Z")
To be fair, the Twin Towers were subjected to terrorist attack before then, also. Just never before successfully. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/39 "2011-09-26T21:50:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That one’s a bit of a stretch. And besides, to nitpick, D. D. Harriman didn’t make the trip; he just financed it. Harriman himself didn’t step foot on the Moon until his deathbed. Yep, you’re right. Harriman reached the Moon in “Requiem.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498/40 "2011-09-27T18:36:23Z")
The UNIT stories in Doctor Who were supposedly set in the near future, about 5 to 10 years beyond the time it was made and broadcast. In one story the Brigadier speaks on the telephone to the Prime Minister. He addressed the PM as “Madam.” This was made and shown several years before Mrs Thatcher became Prime Minister, at a time when all previous PM’s had been male. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-coincidences-between-fiction-and-real-life/597498.md?page=1)