National Look Alike Day was created in the 1980s by Jack Etzel. He was a TV reporter who was with photographer Rick Minutello in downtown Pittsburgh looking for a new story. He saw a guy who looked like Humphrey Bogart and decided to interview him. The next day, Mr. Etzel contacted the Chase Calendar of Events and declared April 20th to be National Look Alike Day. 

According to legends, people could tell whether a person was a real person or a doppelganger by seeing if they cast a shadow. If they didn’t cast a shadow, they were most likely a doppelganger. Doppelgangers also weren’t supposed to cast reflections on water or in a mirror.  

Another thing that was common in the legends of old is the doppelganger as a harbinger of bad luck. It was believed that if you saw your friend or family member’s doppelganger, then that was a sign of impending sickness or extreme bad luck. And if you happen to see your own doppelganger, then that was supposedly an omen that you were going to die.