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!

son father died

Three year ago on 17 may 2011 my son passed away at 3 am in the morning in hospital.He died at the same time were I brought him to the hospital 3 am in the morning. With organ problem. two years later my husband died in 18 may 2013 at 6 pm in hospital with organ problem.That the first coincidence.The second is these the person, my son and me got the same pin code for the bank but inverse for eg 3465 - 6534 and after he died I cant save any money on this account. The second I got my husband birthday number exactly the same like my work code.

Negative correlation

I have observed/realised that whenever I was rooting for a soccer team this became defeated. Whenever I run away from the TV screen, the play seemed quiet, whenever I reappeared, the opposite team immediately scored a goal. This was particularly the case with Germany versus Portugal and Netherlands contra Spain, when I was rooting for Portugal and Spain and both were bombastically defeated (4:0; 5:1 ). I decided to counteract this tendency. In case of Germany vs. Ghana - where I unambiguously supported Ghana - I went to bed 10 minutes before the match started with plugs in my ears. I was almost certain if I pay attention to the screen, Ghana would be defeated, say 8:0. I think I have, at least partly, archived what I wanted: it was a draw. (2:2 ).

Ex boyfriends end up living in same cul-de-sac in distant town

I've had 7 boyfriends in my life. Like me, my first boyfriend 'A' lived in Birmingham. We dated for a few months when we were 18. A few years later I met 'B' from London. We dated for 5 years and we too lived in Birmingham. I didn't keep in touch with either of them. 19 years later I discovered that they both live in the same small cul-de-sac in a small town in Nottinghamshire.

same name, same street

Discovered today that someone with the same name as me lives at an adjacent house number in same street

same birthday, same hospital room

I met and became friends with a girl in my 4th grade class- we were both born at the same hospital on July 17, 1970 and our mothers had shared a room post-delivery where they'd chatted during their short stay but hadn't kept in touch. I also met a woman through work that was born on the 17th of July and last year I befriended a woman online that happened to be born on July 17th too.

A long way and a long time 'til now

Last summer a friend I have known for 33 years got married. She now lives near Leeds. My wife and son and I drove the 4 hour journey up there and stayed in a cheap hotel for two nights. We booked in and had a meal, and then went to the bar for a drink. They were tired and went to bed but I stayed for a while longer. I went outside for a smoke. Someone came out behind me to do the same. I often joke with my son that I like to speak to random strangers in queues and in the street or in galleries; anywhere really, so I asked this stranger what he was in Leeds for. 'I'm here for my sister's wedding.' 'Oh; Jill?' Not such a big coincidence really. However the big coincidence was that while discussing our respective work he explained that he filled vending machines. One of the places he did this was at the factory I work at. We got on really well. Recently he changed jobs to be a taxi driver. Recently we had a party for a multi anniversary.

Birthday coincidence.

My Birthday is on the 14th July. I will be 49 this year. The family dog is born on the same day and will be seven human years or equalling dog years will be 49 years. My daughters long term boyfriend also shares the same day of 14th July!

Destined to be together

My parents, both born about six weeks apart in 1929, married in 1950 and are still together. Before they married, there was no obvious connection between their two families. They have consecutively numbered birth certificates! This resulted from each of their mothers registering their births on the same day, at the same registry office in Nottingham, one after the other.

chance meeting a complete stranger twice in a month

On a Singapore Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Singapore in April this year i was approached by one of the air crew. He asked me if I was in Japan in March I said yes and it soon became clear we had seen each other a month earlier in a small hotel in Takayama where we sat next to each other for dinner. What are the chances of two complete strangers who live different countries (I live in China he lives in Singapore) bumping into each other twice in the space of a month in two different places (one in a small city in Japan, one in an aircraft somewhere over the South China Sea)...I'd love to know the probability of that.

Serendipitous sandwich

I was out for a walk around my neighborhood when a friend/acquintance texted me to see what I was doing that night. I chose to respond later when I had a better idea of my plans and kept walking. As I finally chose to return home, I had a sudden craving for a very specific local sandwich that only one local joint served. As I walked into to sandwich joint I saw the friend who had texted me earlier eating the same sandwich. p.s. coincidences like the above have become more pronounced as I've started a daily meditation practice.

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