a really dumb question

The theory was that they might loosen up in the same direction as the wheel turns. With the left hand threads for tightening, they loosen up in the opposite direction of the wheel. Same issue with the left hand threads on the ring gear in the rear.
Yep inertia and centrifugal forces are intriguing really. I once worked on robotic assembly line machines where tiny little parts dumped from a box of 10000 into a dish like hopper would travel up a narrowing spiraling ramp until they reached their point of individual use. They "magically" lined up like little soldiers. So it was vibration that caused the travel. The spinning thumper underneath this spiral ramp had to rotate the opposite direction of the ramp. Otherwise they would never leave the dish. Go figure.
Anyway... The left hand threads on left side had much to do with the lug wrench and/or possible lack of proper torqueing the lug nuts. If they weren't tight they surely would back of.