3. The Repeating Lives of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe’s tale, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, describes a shipwreck where desperate survivors resort to cannibalism—choosing a victim named Richard Parker. Astonishingly, years after Poe’s story was published, a real shipwreck echoed this grim scenario, right down to the victim’s name. The bizarre overlap between fiction and reality leaves readers and historians alike wondering about the limits of coincidence. More details at Mental Floss
