Two identical twin brothers discovered they had lived nearly identical lives despite being separated at birth and not knowing each other until the age of 39.
Jim Lewis and Jim Springer, born in 1940, were adopted by two separate families as babies and took the surnames of their adoptive parents. For a first name, both families called their new sons 'James', or Jim for short.
The twins grew up living a mere 40 miles from each other, in Minnesota. Jim Lewis was aware he had been separated from a twin brother, but Jim Springer’s mother had told him his twin had died at birth.
After they reunited, at 39 years of age, the similarities they found in their lives were astonishing.
The two men had married wives with the same first name and had similar interests and hobbies. They did a similar job, and they each had a dog with the same name.
Lewis and Springer both had a brother, Larry, and a dog called Toy. As students, they both enjoyed mathematics and woodwork but had a strong dislike for spelling.
Both of the twins' first wives' names were Linda. And when they divorced from them, they both married a second wife, called Betty.
Each man then had a son to whom they gave the same name; James Alan, according to MamaMia.com.
Jim Lewis was a chain smoker, suffered from migraines and drove a Chevrolet. He worked as a security guard.
Similarly, Jim Springer was a chain smoker, suffered from migraines and drove a Chevrolet. He even did a very similar job, as he worked as a deputy sheriff.
Their paths crossed for the first time in 1979 after Jim Lewis discovered the contact details of his identical twin.
The twins were participants in a study conducted by Dr Thomas Bouchard of the University of Minnesota.
They were asked to complete tests on personality, medical history and brain waves. Their scores were remarkably similar for all three tests.
When asked to draw a picture, they drew the same thing, with Dr Bouchard saying he was left "flabbergasted" by the twins’ results.
