Twin brothers separated at birth and reunited 39 yrs later lived almost parallel lives. Both were named James, both owned a dog named Toy, both had married twice; first to women named Linda and second to women named Betty. Both drove Chevys, smoked Salem cigarettes and drank Miller Lite.
The Jim Twins: Separated at Birth, Identical Lives
In 1979, two 39-year-old men met for the first time since they were four weeks old. Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were identical twins who had been adopted by different families in Ohio. What they discovered when they finally reunited wasn't just that they shared DNA—it was that they had lived virtually the same life.
Both adoptive families had named their sons James. Both Jims grew up with a dog named Toy. Both married women named Linda, divorced, and then married women named Betty. Both drove Chevrolet cars, chain-smoked Salem cigarettes, and drank Miller Lite beer. Both worked in law enforcement and security. Both took family vacations to the same beach in Florida—Pass-a-Grille Beach—driving the same route.
Beyond the Headlines
The parallels went even deeper. Both had sons they named James Alan (though one spelled it Allan). Both were habitual nail-biters who started experiencing tension headaches at age 18. They had the same sleeping problems, the same weight gain patterns, and similar personalities. When researchers gave them personality tests, their profiles were nearly identical.
Even their hobbies matched: both enjoyed stock car racing and disliked baseball. Both had built circular white benches around trees in their backyards—a detail so specific it sent chills down researchers' spines.
The Minnesota Study
When psychologist Thomas Bouchard Jr. at the University of Minnesota heard about the Jim Twins, he saw an opportunity. He brought them in for extensive testing, launching what became the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart (MISTRA). Over two decades, the study examined more than 100 sets of twins and triplets who had been separated at birth.
The Jim Twins became the most famous case study in behavioral genetics. Researchers measured everything: their brainwave patterns, heart rates, intelligence, and personality traits. The similarities were so striking that they challenged conventional thinking about nature versus nurture.
Coincidence or Genetics?
Skeptics have pointed out that some coincidences might be overstated. Salem cigarettes and Miller Lite were popular brands in the 1970s. Chevrolet was America's best-selling car manufacturer. The name Linda was the most popular girls' name in the 1940s and '50s, when the Jims were dating age.
But researchers argue the sheer number of similarities—combined with measurable traits like personality profiles and medical histories—can't be dismissed as mere coincidence. Dr. Nancy Segal, who joined the study in 1982, confirmed: "They were absolutely on the level."
The Jim Twins case remains one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the power of genetics in shaping who we become—even when we grow up worlds apart.