Identical twins Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were put up for adoption at birth. Growing up just 40 miles from each other in Ohio, both men had brothers named Larry and dogs named Toy. They shared the same interests in school — mathematics and woodworking — and both hated spelling. Each brother went on to marry a woman named Linda, only to divorce several years later. Even more astoundingly, their respective second wives were both named Betty, with both men naming their sons James Allan. The two Jims suffered from migraines and both owned Chevrolets. While they didn’t have the exact same job, they were very similar. Jim Lewis worked as a security guard and Jim Springer was a deputy sheriff. Lewis was aware that he had a twin brother from whom he was separated at birth, but Springer’s mother told him that his twin had died at birth. The pair lived parallel lives without ever meeting, until 1979. That’s when Jim Lewis discovered contact details for his identical twin and reached out. When they finally met for the first time, it didn’t take long for them to realize the eerie similarities in their life stories. The twins made the decision to take part in a study conducted by Dr. Thomas Bouchard of University of Minnesota, where they were tested on personality, medical history and brain waves. Their results left Dr. Bouchard flabbergasted, as both scored remarkably the same in all three areas. The study of twins separated at birth, like the Jim twins, continues to provide valuable insight into the mysteries of human development and the dynamic forces that make us who we are as individuals.
