Identical twins Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were only four weeks old when they were separated; each infant was taken in by a different adoptive family. At age five, Lewis learned that he had a twin, but he said that the notion never truly "soaked in" until he was 38 years old. Springer learned of his twin sibling at age eight, but both he and his adoptive parents believed the sibling had died. The two were finally reunited at age 39. The similarities the twins shared not only amazed one another, but researchers at the University of Minnesota as well. The very fact that you had twin siblings separated at birth bearing the same name, both 6 feet tall and weighing exactly 180 pounds is pretty incredible. But there's more.
In her book Entwined Lives, Nancy Segal lists the following shared characteristics:
- As youngsters, each Jim had a dog named "Toy."
- Each Jim had been married two times -- the first wives were both called "Linda" and the second wives were both called "Betty."
- One Jim had named his son "James Allan" and the other Jim had named his son "James Alan."
- Each twin had driven his light-blue Chevrolet to Pas Grille beach in Florida for family vacations.
- Both Jims smoked Salem cigarettes and drank Miller Lite beer.
- Both Jims had at one time held part-time posts as sheriffs.
- Both were fingernail biters and suffered from migraine headaches.
- Each Jim enjoyed leaving love notes to his wife throughout the house.
