The unlucky man who got struck by lightning, not one time, but seven times!
Roy Sullivan was born in Greene County, Virginia, all the way back in February of 1912. Born just two months prior to the sinking of the Titanic, perhaps this would be a bad omen for the life of the newborn, who would endure what is arguably one of the most unique (and cruel) fates: being repeatedly struck by lightning.
They say that lightning never strikes twice. Well, for poor Sullivan, it did... seven times. It is very rare that you would be struck by lightning. It is sometimes (incorrectly) claimed that you are more likely to win the lottery than you are to be struck by lightning. Whilst this is untrue (you are actually 276 times more likely to be struck by lightning), it is still very unlikely to happen to you. The chances of you being struck seven times, like Roy Sullivan, are almost impossible and you would be unlikely to survive any of these strikes, anyway, especially after the first.
Sullivan was a park ranger in Virginia in an area prone to lightning strikes. He was high up and often took refuge in a tall firewatch tower. Therefore, he was more likely than most to be struck.
Sullivan was struck 7 times and his life was drastically altered on each occasion. Following involves the timeline of Sullivan’s encounter with lightning.
- First in 1942, which led him to lose his toe nail;
- In 1969, lost his eyebrows;
- In 1970, he got his left shoulder seared;
- In 1972, his hair set on fire;
- In 1973, his new hair was re-fired and his legs were seared;
- In 1976, his ankle was injured;
- In 1977, he got chest and stomach burns.
Sullivan ‘s fate landed him a title on the Guinness World Record that approved his nickname, the ‘human lightning conductor of Virginia, USA.’ He also has significant burn mark on his ranger hat, which is now kept on display at two Guinness World Exhibit Halls.
There wasn't much that could scare Roy. It was even claimed that he had fought off bears with just a stick on more than 20 occasions.
Regardless, Sullivan began to resent the fact he was an outcast and that his fortunes had altered his life this way. But who can blame him afterall, for feeling that way?
As word spread of his terrible luck, people purposely began shunning him. They believed that if they spent enough time with him, lightning would come for them too. He recalled, “I was walking with Chief Ranger one day when lightning struck far away in the distance. And the Chief said, “I’ll see you later.””
One of the superintended from the same park that Sullivan worked in revealed that word had spread that, “If you see a dark cloud heading your way, get away from Roy Sullivan.”
Religion played a part, with many fearing Sullivan had done something terrible to have angered God so much. It was after the fourth lightning in 1972 that had struck him, when he started fearing death. He believed that there is some higher power that is there to get him. To defend himself, he started carrying a can of water at all times.
One time Sullivan was hanging out in the backyard with his wife and three kids when lightning struck again. But this time, he managed to escape it, rather striking his wife instead. It changed things in their marriage. Since then, Sullivan would put his wife and kids in the living room, while he would go off himself and sit in the kitchen, scared.
Sullivan died at 71 years of age in September of 1983. He shot himself in the stomach, after being rejected by his partner. It’s unclear whether that partner would be his wife, or an unknown person. However, all we know that it wasn’t being stuck by lightning that was unbearable and painful to him, as much as someone’s rejection. Sadly, that led him to take matters of his life, in his own hands.
