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.

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Well I Never!

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

Birthday coincidence

I have 3 younger cousins, one of them is 2 years younger than me. Now 2x2=4 the second one is four years younger than me and 2x4=8 the third one is 8 years younger than me.

3 Birthdays same days different years

Hello Further to a recent tv documentry you might be interested in this: 3 Siblings on the same day different years. My older brother was born 23/06/1950 I was born 23/06/1953 A younger brother was born on 23/06 1967 All with same mother and father. Neighbour two doors each side of our family home also had children born on 23rd June.

Birthday coincidence

I am one of 4 siblings (I have three older sisters) and our birthdays always fall on the same day of the week each year, even in leap years. Regards Richard Chaff

Christmas Coincidence

I'm not one for unbelievable stories or unlikely occurrences, but this happened some years ago and it involved my Brother's trip from home in Bedfordshire to our Parents in Norfolk on Christmas Eve. We normally have a family get-together at christmas, and this year was no different, but my Brother Tim left it to the last minute to travel up to Norfolk due to working commitments. He doesn't drive, so he was traveling with a friend who was traveling a similar route. The weather was not great, misty and foggy, average for the time of year, but it made the roads seem greasy and unfortunately my Brother and his friend were involved in an accident. It happened when turning into a roundabout near Thetford, my Brother's friend lost control on the bend and cut across two lanes, luckily stopping other cars in their tracks, and hit for a signpost post in the verge head on. Thankfully they were both OK. Coming off the roundabout meant that they weren't traveling at considerable speed, and although the car suffered a v-shaped dent in the front, the impact levelled the car fully onto the verge and was thus out of more danger.

Unluck

My daughter has had a string of 'bad luck'. Like most people, she put her very first bet on the Grand National horse race, 2012 and chose two horses only: Synchronised and According to Pete. Both of these unfortunate horses were euthanised as a result of serious fractures caused by falls in the race. It sort of summed up a year of improbable unfortunate events which have actually proved to be worse this year. What are the chances of picking the two horses which would die during the race?

Reading the same book

I was in a second hand bookshop in Melbourne on a Wednesday. I was looking at a shelf of old books by Mark Twain. A book fell off the shelf. It was a book by the Russian author Ivan Turgenev titled "On the Eve". I have been a collector of Turgenev's books for a couple of years, but I did not have this book. I had no money on me, so I decided the next time I came in to the city I would buy it. On the Friday, I travelled by train to the city. I decided I would buy Turgenev's "On the Eve" that morning. A fellow got on the train two stations after me, sat down next to me, and began reading a book. It was "On the Eve" by Turgenev. As a statistician, I was surprised by the exactitude of this coincidence. I should note that I have experienced many coincidences, some benign like this; but others not so benign. I wish you well with the project.

Eavesdropping

In January 2012 my wife and I decided rather than pay rent to a landlord for my student son in the next academic year commencing September 2012 we would buy a house in Norwich and rent it to him and his mates. By April we still had not done anything and then we knew we had to get a move-on. We drew up a short-list but decided that one house was miles better than the others so we went up on the train on 14th April from our home in London and arranged a lunch-time viewing with the intention of calling the agents from the train regarding the other houses on the shortlist and arranging a short-notice viewing. However, out of laziness we ended up only looking at the one house and we made an offer on it during the afternoon which was declined the next day.<br /> On Wednesday 18th April I was eating lunch alone in a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, London some 115 miles from Norwich. It was very busy and the waiter sat me at the only empty table upstairs. The tables were very close together so I couldn't help but hear a lady sat at the next table say she was having trouble selling her house in Norwich and revealing what the highest offer she had received was.

Birthday coincidence

I share my birthday with my 2 brothers , My older brother ( we share the same mother and father) is 2 years older than my younger brother is 13 years younger , he is our half brother we share the same father . My father has the 3 of us who are his only biological children all born on the same day .

Sarah Richard

In 2005 my family decided to go to Dorset for our summer holiday. When there, l said that I wasn't going all that way and not going to Stonehenge. So, we looked at all our options and decided that we would go on Thursday of that week. Thursday came, and off we trundled. All of us loved looking at the stones, however it was a blisteringly hot day, and the site was really busy. The kids were getting whiney, and wanted to get out of the crowds. I had promised my sister Sarah, my mum, and my brother Richard a postcard while I was here. The gift shop was mobbed and my daughter didn't like it, she kept saying mum mum can we go now? I said (in a raised voice) yes OK, just let me get a postcard for Sarah 'n' Richard. A lady next to me said "hello, did you speak to me ........ do I know you"? I must have looked really confused, she had an American accent. I said "no l don't think so"? After us staring at each other for what seemed like ages, she said "I'm Sarah Richard"! OMG - my brain fried right there!!!! Turns out she was on vacation from the USA. What are the chances of that happening??

friends meeting abroad

two different friends of mine from neighbouring Towns who did not know each other met in Amsterdam. During there conversation it became apparent that they both knew me. What is the coincidence of that?

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