Do you consider yourself unlucky? The next time you find yourself complaining about how lady luck is never on your side, consider the lives of these ten individuals
10. Ann Elizabeth Hodges: One in a Billion
One day, Ann was asleep in her living room couch, unaware that in a few minutes she will be part of an experience unknown to the rest of the world. And that is the experience of being hit by a meteorite. In essence, Ann really is one in a billion as hers is the only recorded case of a person being hit by an extraterrestrial object. However, there is a silver lining to the story: Ann managed to survive the incident with minor injuries.
9. Jack Whittaker: The Unfortunate Lottery-Winner
Have you ever bought a lottery ticket and hoped to win? Well, you probably didn’t win because God was busy answering the prayer of a man from Pennsylvania, who won a $17 million dollar lottery! He must be a really lucky man, right? Wrong. First he suffered a loss of $54,000 after he was robbed by thieves. Then, he was sued by his ex-girlfriend, dwindling down his earnings further. To add to his misery, his granddaughter spent her share of the winnings on drugs and eventually lost her life to drug abuse. Tragically, after some time, his daughter also met with the same fate. Disheartened by these events, Whittaker allegedly told reporters, “I wish I’d torn that ticket up.”
8. Tsutomu Yamaguchi: Bombing to Boming
This man was unfortunate enough to be in Hiroshima when the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb. Shaken by the bombing, which caused him to lose hearing in his left hear, Yamaguchi decided it was time to move to a safer city. And what could be a better option than Nagasaki to escape the hazardous effects of the bomb? Those of you who paid attention in history class will know that Nagasaki was the next city to be attacked by the Americans. While Yamaguchi is unlucky to have been in the only two cities attacked by atomic bombs, he managed to survive both these tragedies and live till the ripe age of 93.
7. Yu Zhenhuan: The Gorilla Man
Now, ladies, if you’re always complaining about how hairy Indian men are, here’s a reality check. The hairiest man in the world is actually Yu Zhenhuan from China. 96 per cent of Yu’s body is covered with hair, the result of a rare condition. In fact, Yu had to undergo surgery to remove hair from his ears as it was affecting his hearing.
6. Robert Todd Lincoln: The Innocent Assassin
Robert Todd Lincoln can certainly be called unlucky, especially for those around him. He was present at the scene of three separate assassinations: the one of his own father, President Abraham Lincoln, then President Abraham Lincoln, then President Garfield and President McKinley. Identifying his rotten luck, Lincoln decided to never attend presidential functions again. We’re sure he didn’t get invited to them either.
5. Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence: Terror Tourists
This British couple has probably never sent holiday postcards to their friends saying ‘Wish you were here’. Here’s why: the couple was holidaying in New York during the 9/11 attacks, then in London during the 2005 bombings and were unfortunately visiting Mumbai during the 2008 attacks. The couple managed to escape these cities unharmed, but we do wish they decide to contribute towards world peace by not planning a holiday any time soon.
4. Major Summerford: The Lightening Magnet
This British officer was forced to retire from the Army after an accident left him partially paralysed. The incident was not caused by enemy fire, unless Summerfield was fighting battles with the Norse God Thor, because he was actually struck by lightning. What are the chances, right? His bad luck streak continued as he was struck by lightning again: once while fishing, once during a walk and one after his death. Yes, even his tombstone was struck by lightning. Seems unbelievable? Imagine Roy Sullivan’s luck who was known as the ‘human lightening rod’ and holds the world record for being struck by lightning more than any other person. If you’re thinking of competing, his record is seven times!
3. Henry Ziegland: Every bullet has it’s day
Henry’s heart-broken ex-girlfriend committed suicide after he broke up with her. In a fit of rage, the girl’s brother went to Henry’s house and shot him, taking his own life after that. Luckily, the bullet missed Henry and lodged itself into a tree. Why is he unlucky, you ask? Because a few years later, Henry decided to blow up that tree, causing the bullet to propel towards him and take his life.
2. Friedrich Riesfeldt: Killer poop
According to legend, a German zookeeper was frustrated by a constipated elephant and decided to feed him laxatives to ‘relieve’ him. Friedrich’s remedies certainly worked because the elephant released around 200 pounds of faeces in one go. But as luck would have it, poor Friedrich found himself in the line of fire and suffocated under the elephant poop.
1. Michael Anderson: The fatal commode
Anderson was convicted of murder but managed to convince the jury that he was innocent. While the jury was convinced, karma sure wasn’t. Later, Anderson was trying to fix his earphones which were connected to his television set. Unluckily for him he decided to do this while seated on a steel toilet seat, resulting in his electrocution. Looks like some things are just meant to be.
Volume 2 Issue5
