Coincidence? A pause for thought...

Tuesday Talk - a few coincidences? 

A short while ago I had this lovely e-mail from a Facebook friend. 

It made me think - how many coincidences in history are there?  

Kennedy-Lincoln 

In spite of the fact that the Lincoln-Kennedy similarities are old news, it is still one of the most unusual coincidences in history. Both presidents were elected precisely 100 years apart and each was the successor of a president named Johnson, also born 100 years apart. While Lincoln was assassinated in Ford’s Theatre, JFK was shot while riding in a Ford Lincoln.

Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy, whereas JKF had a secretary named Evelyn Lincoln.

John Lennon was shot and killed by a schizophrenic night security guard named Chapman in 1980. A few years after Lennon's death, a TV station was playing a biographic movie about John Lennon: the actor playing Lennon was also named Chapman. 

The Daily Telegraph crossword puzzle : Two weeks before WWII D-day, London’s Daily Telegraph published a crossword puzzle containing the names of the beaches where the Ally forces would land (Omaha and Utah) along with other classified information accessible only to General Eisenhower’s staff. While initially everyone considered the author of the puzzle a Nazi spy, it turned out that all words were randomly chosen. 

Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He predicted this in 1909, when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it." 

Morgan Robertson's 1898 novella Futility had many parallels with the RMS Titanic disaster; the book concerned a fictional state-of-the-art ocean liner called Titan, which (like the Titanic) eventually collides with an iceberg on a calm April night whilst en route to New York, with many dying because of the lack of lifeboats. Various other details in the book coincide with the Titanic disaster. Later, she wrote a book, Beyond the Spectrum, that described a future war fought with aircraft that carried "sun bombs". Incredibly powerful, one bomb could destroy a city, erupting in a flash of light that blinds all who look at it. The war begins in December, started by the Japanese with a sneak attack on Hawaii.

I had mentioned on a FB post that I was disappointed that the US version of Harold the King - entitled I Am The Chosen King - was not doing as well as I had hoped, especially as the first book in the due The Forever Queen was selling well. In response I had this e-mail from Ashley Wetherall ....

"Helen, I read that you were a little unhappy with the way Harold the King was performing in the US. Well maybe the US publishers pitch is wrong. 

Maybe someone should explain that Harold the King has certain similarities with the most famous family in the USA. The Kennedys.

There are so many similarities between the Godwins and the Kennedy's that Harold the King should be a huge hit state side!

• Earl Godwin and Joseph Kennedy were both heads of the most famous and controversial families of there age. 
• John F Kennedy and Harold Godwinson were both second sons. 
• Both apparently overcame major health problems. 
• Both died violently before their time. 
• Both JFK and Harold married great beauties. 
• Earl Godwin may have died as a result of a stroke as did Joseph Kennedy although Kennedy lived longer. 
• John and Harold had ambitious brothers
• Both men had to make very unpopular decisions, but both were replaced by people who were worse for their countries

I'm still telling people to read you book. best wishes.

Ashley"

Thank you Ashley - for the idea and for the lovely compliment regarding my books.

Harold is one of my favourite novels, and I am disappointed that it isn't doing better in the US - but there you go. 

~ ~ ~