Top 10 People Who Were in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time in History

Top 10 People Who Were in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time in History

Welcome to WatchMojo, where we’ll be looking at ten times someone ended up in a horrible situation by sheer chance alone.

Richard Jewell

In 1996, the Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, the United States. It turned into a tragedy, as terrorist Eric Rudolph planted a backpack full of explosives in the Olympic grounds. Thankfully, the disaster was mitigated by security guard Richard Jewell, who discovered the bomb and saved many lives from the disaster. So, in one respect, he was at the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, the FBI and the press later began believing he was the culprit. This destroyed his reputation for a few years, until Eric Rudolph was found guilty. Clint Eastwood made a movie about his life in 2019. So, on the bright side, his reputation has been repaired since, and he’s predominantly considered a hero.

Austin Hatch

Few things in life will be more traumatic than surviving a plane crash. So, surviving two would likely take a huge toll on someone’s mind. This is what happened to Austin Hatch in the 2000s. In 2003, he was only 8 years old when a plane his father was piloting crashed in Indiana. His mother and two siblings tragically didn’t survive, but Austin and his dad did. In 2011, it happened again. A plane that his father was flying stalled, crashed, and Austin lost both his dad and his stepmother. Miraculously, Austin survived after being put into a coma for two months. It would’ve been hell to overcome, but he now has a wife and child, so things are finally looking up for him.

The Desarmes Family

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was one of the most devastating natural disasters for the island. The Desarmes family was caught in the disaster. Two weeks later, they decided to seek refuge in Chile. Tragically, a month into their stay, Chile was also hit by a brutal earthquake. The family said it was extremely horrifying to live through both. Every member of the family lived to tell the tale, but it undoubtedly wreaked havoc upon their mental health. If they’d known the dangers of moving to Chile, they said they would’ve just remained in Haiti.

Iva Toguri D’Aquino

The early 1940s were probably the worst time in history for an American to visit Japan, or vice versa. In 1942, American citizen Iva Toguri D’Aquino went on a holiday to Japan. Her timing proved to be terrible, as Japan declared war on America while she was there, and she couldn’t return. Imperial Japan then forced her to become a DJ for an English-speaking propaganda radio broadcast, which earned her the nickname “Tokyo Rose.” She heroically put her life on the line to feed American prisoners of war. Tragically, the States weren’t thankful towards her after the war. She ended up getting convicted of treason and served 6 years in prison, but was eventually pardoned in 1977.

Emperor Carus

Roman history gets beyond chaotic during the Crisis of the Third Century, which lasted from 235 until 284 AD. One of the last emperors during this period was Carus, who ruled from 282 until 283. While he was in power, the empire’s main rivals were the Sassanids, an empire that dominated Persia and Mesopotamia. Carus led a strong campaign against them in 283, but this failed when Carus died randomly. Some sources claim he was struck by lightning, but this isn’t confirmed. Generally, scholars think it was not a natural death. His two sons took over the empire, but were overthrown by Diocletian, who ended the crisis and brought stability. Wars on Rome’s eastern border would continue for centuries, eventually motivating the crusades.

Jason & Jenny Cairns-Lawrence

This English pair is often called the “world’s unluckiest couple.” This is because they’ve survived not only one terrorist attack while on holiday, but 3. First, they were visiting New York on September 11th, 2001. Four years later, they were caught up in London when the 7th July bombings were perpetrated. Finally, in 2008, they visited Mumbai at the same time as the horrific attacks. Well, this is what the press wants you to believe. The story is largely false. They arrived in both New York and Mumbai after the attacks had taken place, and were in Birmingham when the London bombings happened. So, the wrong place they were in was the bar where they first met a journalist who fabricated the story.

Ron Goldman

One of the most infamous murder cases in history surrounded the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson’s former husband, retired football player O.J. Simpson was charged with double homicide in a highly publicized trial in which he was acquitted. However, he was later found to be liable for the deaths in a civil case. Nicole is believed to have been the primary target, but Goldman was tragically murdered because he caught her at the wrong time. He was a waiter trying to return her glasses, but ended up losing his life, likely so the killer could minimise witnesses.

William Huskisson

In the 1830s, steam-powered locomotives had just started coming out, and were all the rage. In 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was first opened. A grand celebration was hosted for its opening, inviting both the Prime Minister and the Duke of Wellington. One politician, William Huskisson, was a fairly clumsy man. This meant he was sorrowfully caught between two trains, which caused him to panic so hard that he failed to escape and ended up being run over by a train. It became the first railway fatality widely reported, although there had been a plethora of fatalities prior, but they were barely focused on.

Franz Ferdinand

World War I was triggered by a chaotic domino effect of European alliances declaring war on each other. The event that started it all was the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir and Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Six Bosnians worked together to eliminate him, and all their plans failed. That was until his driver took a wrong turn, and just coincidentally arrived outside a delicatessen where one assassin was waiting. His name was Gavrilo Princip, and he didn’t hesitate to execute both Ferdinand and his wife. This led to Austria-Hungary eventually declaring war on Serbia, with both nations getting all their allies involved, who in turn invited their allies, until all of Europe was at war.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi

Few humans have lived through a single atomic bomb, but few have lived through two. His name was Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who was born in 1916 and died in 2010. Yamaguchi was sent to Hiroshima by his employers, which caused him to be caught in the attack. After miraculously surviving, he returned to his home in Nagasaki. His boss didn’t believe him on the phone when he mentioned the bomb, which was the general attitude in Japan. Many were skeptical that such a powerful weapon existed. Unfortunately, the second bomb dropped while he was in Nagasaki, but thankfully, that one didn’t hurt him at all. Amazingly, he lived to the age of 93, a mindblowing feat for someone hit by two atomic bombs.

Were there any particularly tragic moments we failed to mention? Let us know in the comments.