People giving double takes is nothing new to Jesse and Carey Wagoner of La Grange Park. They are 19-year-old identical twins.

Some interesting facts about twins were cited in the Chicago Tribune last Sunday in the “History Lesson” column by Mark Jacob. According to Jacob and his sources, one in 80 deliveries in the United States results in twins, but the rate is one in 11 in the Yoruba ethnic group in Nigeria. Here in the United States, we regard the first born as the older of the twins; in Nigeria, they consider the first born the younger of the two, that he is scouting out the world for the older, the second born.

The Wagoners do not have a secret language, but they do often have the same reactions and say the same things.

“We say some things in stereo and people look at us strangely, but it happens so often, it is common to us,” Jesse said. “When people meet us for the first time, it is hard for them to tell us apart, but eventually people know who is who.”

The boys were in different classes throughout school and had only one class together at Park Junior High in seventh grade.

“As an April Fool’s joke, we switched places in kindergarten. Our mom talked to the teachers, and they said it was fine,” Jesse said.

That is the only time that they switched — during the day, one of the girls in their classroom noticed that Jesse was not Carey and vice versa. Remarkably, she was not a good friend of either of the boys, but she noticed the difference nonetheless.

The boys also share a common interest: juggling. Having just returned from the International Juggling Festival in Lexington, Ky., both boys learned some new things and benefited from having attended the festival.

“We met a lot of really nice people from all over the world,” Jesse said.

More than 450 people attend the festival and the gym is open 24 hours a day.

“We sometimes juggle for 13 to 14 hours a day. There is always someone available to help you learn a new trick, a new way of doing things,” Jesse said.

Jesse began juggling in sixth grade and after joining the Juggling Club at Lyons Township High School. He continued to improve and once juggled torches at an all-school assembly. His brother started juggling a little later but has honed his skills and is now attending Indiana University where there is also a juggling club. In fact, Carey won a gold medal in the passing competition, where three people passed 13 clubs among them. Jesse’s personal best is juggling four clubs at the same time and seven balls at once, whereas Cary can juggle five clubs and six balls.

The boys found that many children ages 12 to 15 are “super good.”

“It is amazing how good the kids younger than we are can be — they pick up the tricks from YouTube,” Jesse said.

With Jesse at Bradley University and Carey at Indiana University, the boys do try to get together a few times a year and practice their skill together. Growing up with a twin is uncommon enough, and pursuit of an unusual skill — juggling — is unique in and of itself.

The annual Twins Day Festival will be held Aug. 1 through 3 in Twinsburg, Ohio.