Cambridge Coincidences Collection

As of the 23rd May 2022 this website is archived and will receive no further updates.

understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.

Many of the animations were produced using Flash and will no longer work.

Well I Never!

Professor David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University wants to know about your coincidences!

Winston Spencer Churchill and Femi Fani-Kayode

There are interesting developments between the United Kingdom and Nigeria in respect of Winston Spencer Churchill and Nigerian Politician, Femi Fani Kayode Churchill and Fani- Kayode both attended the same Secondary school, Harrow on Hill Churchill and Fani Kayode are prolific writers and famous for their newspaper write ups. Churchill and Fani Kayode are known to be Historians Churchill and Femi Fani Kayode are known for crossing carpets. Churchill crossed from the Conservative Party to the Liberal Party and Back to the Conservative Party whereas Femi Fani Kayode crossed from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All progressive Congress and then back to the PDP Churchill and Fani Kayode both Aristocrats and had Charismatic Politician- Fathers Churchill and Fani-Kayode both served in the same position in Government, Churchill was Secretary of the Air and relatedly Fani -Kayode was Minister of Aviation.

CONNECTED?

Ahead of going to a theatre matinee I was eating a snack of olives in oil at the train station. Being environmentally conscientious I wanted to wash out the disposable dish and take it back home with me to recycle. So I go into the ladies toilets to use the sink. A lady comes out of the cubicle. I step aside from the sole sink for her to wash her hands and explain my slightly out of the ordinary use of the sink. So we get talking about recycling. We walk out of the toilets together still talking. Then we start talking about where we're going etc. We end up sitting on the train together. In our conversation, we find out that: 1. She lives in the same street as a guy who's decorating the outside of my house (I've been to see his house to see the work he's done on it and several other houses in his street before contracting him); 2. She's recently started as a cognitive behavioral therapist at a local place where I have been receiving treatment; 3. She did a prank on an 80's prank tv show in the pub that my boyfriend's parents ran AT the time; 4.

Colleague has fiancée taught by father in law

Talking to my colleague from NE Somerset about his fiancée, also from NE Somerset, found by an email check out that she had been taught by my father-in-law. This was despite the fact that the secondary school was in West Wales. This is what made it surprising.

death coincidence

Its not an event that happened to me (or watched it happen). However, it occurred to my friend (my friend happens to be there) and thought it might be a considered a 'coincidence'. The story is that a woman together with here child was hit and killed by a car. While crossing a street to watch/save someone who is trying to commit suicide by throwing a himself off of a bridge on the road. The road is not know for a lot of traffic before. The man was saved by on lookers but the woman and her child were dead on the spot. Is it a coincidence?

Just another coincidence

I was born in Lisbon and emigrated to London, both city names have six letters, begin with L and end with n. L happens to be the only letter present in every one of my names and also the 11th letter in my native alphabet. I was born in November. Having been born in Lisbon, I moved to a place in the suburbs called Agualva-Cacem, 7 and 5 letters. Having emigrated to London, I ended up moving to Ruislip-Manor. In the suburbs. There you go, if we look for them with due diligence we may find them. Whether they are meaningful in any way is another story.

Oliver Sacks, On The Move

The Sunday Morning News was on this morning, I was still in bed, reading the first chapter of a book I'd received yesterday. The title of the book and the first chapter of which is: On The Move, author: Oliver Sacks. I was reading when I heard the news bit: "Oliver Sacks has died at age 82, he was the author of....etc.," He had been on my mind for several days, after a woman that visited me mentioned his name, and his autobiography which she'd read and thought was very informative about his strange life. That mention jogged my memory back to the day (in the mid 1980's) when a psychiatrist I was seeing handed me a book and asked if I'd like to read it: The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat. After less than one chapter I closed the book and returned it unread because it made no sense to me. A few years later, I read the book, my idea of what is sensible had changed.

Time on the clock

I feel this is very strange coincidence which is happening to me and my son. For some reason every time we look at the clock for a time it is 9:11 either AM or PM. This is not once and it happened at least so far 40 to 50 times. I don;t know why in the world our mind wants to check the time and it ends up to be 9:11. This happened again today in the morning,I wanted to see what time it is (I am at the computer, but you don't necessarily look at the clock all the time) but just wanted to check exact time and it happened to be 9:11 AM. So I thought I should write this . In my experience this is very strange and weird one I have experienced so far.

In response to post #8206

I've experienced that kind of coincidence so often, for so long that I began to get the feeling they happened for a reason. The content is very personal usually, and is specific. Theodore Reik wrote that his little granddaughter exclaimed "He says he loves me so." when she heard a song on the radio. I'd never heard or read about C. G. Jungs' ideas about 'synchronicity' and a process of individuation, but I had read F. David Peats'' book about synchronicity as the bridge between mind and matter. Its about quantum physics and an 'interactive force'. That somehow made sense eventually. But what the real reason for such a strange event as hearing the words from some source that uses words so personally might be, was puzzling for a long span of time. The result was that I became aware these are symptoms of a well known experience, of a pattern known to psychiatrists but also to scientists. Its a good idea, in my opinion to be aware and informed that these experiences are regarded as symptoms of certain mental disorders. But C. G.

Ms

I live alone & usually read or write instead of watching the television. So when friends come over, a lot of times the TV will be on in front of me & it is loud enough for anyone around to hear it. As most people do while visiting a friend, their discussions are usually a priority over what is on the TV. This particular experience has happened to me many times and when it does, it comes in clusters. It may happened often in a week or may not happen at all for awhile, then happens again in clusters of time. When I'm by myself I'm not usually talking to myself when the TV is on, so this coincident is always around other people who are actually hearing this & are as freaked out as I am. This is what happens: When I'm talking & I'm right at the end of a sentence, the last word I say will be instantly repeated by the voice on the TV. My niece & I have laughed about this a lot when she stays for a few days with me. She is my on-going witness that this odd coincidence happens to me so often. I've noticed that recently we don't have the TV on very much anymore. I think she & I are a little scared as to why this is happening.

Gone but not forgotten

Tonight on Quest TV the episode of SOLVED was subtitled 'Gone but not forgotten' whilst at the same moment Moviemix was broadcasting a Lou Diamond film of the same name. With so many TV channels such simultaneous events are likely, but this just seemed a relatively rare selection of words to use as a tv programme title.

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