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!

Where I live

1. We live in a semi detatched farmhouse in a small village in rural Bedfordshire. Our previous neighbours moved out and another couple moved in. Talking over the fence a week or so later I explained that I had orginally come from London. They said that they had previously lived in London for a few years. I asked where: they said Teddington. I said that, although we had grown up in the Brixton area, my older brother had lived in Teddington for a few years before he moved to Cape Town....whereabouts were you? Oh a little terraced side-street called Railway Rd. Ok-ay..what number? No. 17. Interesting....my brother lived at No.16. So, they lived next door to my brother for 3 years (and knew him to talk to), and then, 7 years later (with about 55 miles, and a few million people in between) moved next door to me. 2. I was born in a house (called South Cottage) behind a row of shops in New Park Rd, which lies on the borders of Brixton, Clapham and Streatham in south London. After moving around a bit with my work, I moved to Bedfordshire just over 19 years ago. I changed my job 10 years ago, to an organisation based in Bedford that employs around 350 people.

Are you stealing my identity?

I have a slightly unusual first name and an an unusual spelling of my surname. If I Google myself, I only expect to find myself. Until one day I found someone with exactly the same name. Not only that but he lives in the city where I was born and works as an engineer at the same factory where my parents met, when they were engineering employees there. My mother decided someone had stolen my identity, but it turned out to be a harmless genuine guy from Essex!

Who are those rude children?

About 20 years ago we took our kids on a camping holiday in France, which was to end with a couple of days at a site about a 45 minute drive from EuroDisney, which we planned to visit. My in-laws had booked a mobile home on the site and we were due to rendezvous with them on our return from the Aveyron. We arrived, found the in-laws and were invited in for a cuppa. While mother-in-law was putting the kettle on, she said "Who are those rude children, looking in the window and pulling faces?" We looked and it was our next door neighbour's children from back in Lancashire. They'd just arrived, on their way back from Geneva; they'd happened upon the site and had been allocated the plot next to our in-laws.

KLEN LIVINGSTONE STORY

Back in the 1980s and living in Chester I sent a letter to the local Chester Chronicle taking issue with Labour politician Ken Livingstone. That weekend while on the way to visit inlaws in Stoke on Trent I was sitting in the refreshment room on Crewe Station where I waited with my wife for about 20 minutes for our connection. Over a cup of coffee I opened the Chester Chronicle that I had bought on the way to Chester Station at the letters page to see what had been published. Lo and behold there was my letter taking issue with the said Mr Livingstone. Imaginge my surprise that at that moment and on glancing to my right to see Mr Livingstone actually sitting on the next table to us engrossed in reading some sizable book. I wondered should I tell him some chap from Chester was taking issue with him in that Chester Chronicle (not necessarily declaring it to be me) but after giving it a minute's thought I chose to say nothing. Maybe this would be a better story had I spoken up; but that anyway is my coincidence.

Same Birthdate Across a Generation

Many years ago I worked with a young woman who I discovered was having her 21st birthday on the same day as me (29 March 1952). We were discussing the probability of meeting somebody with the same birthdate, but then discovered that our mothers were also born on the same day (2 March 1925)!

I didn't believe it

I was on holiday in Aug 1970 in Istanbul with 7 student friends we decided to go to Pireaus after a week or so of roughing it I became ill (street food) and needed medical attention The group had a bust up and didn't wait for me, they decided on Crete but my friend and I missed the boat, we got the first ferry available to the Cyclades and stopped off at Milos. We didnt stay in the town and walk to a deserted beach a couple of kilometers away, there was a single tent on the beach. We pitched camp and approached the other couple, the conversation went something like this Me Hi do you speak English (they were obviously far eastern origin) Yes Me Where are you from We're students in the UK Me Me to where are you studying Leeds University how about you Me Me to, I'm at Leeds doing Chemistry, where do you live in Leeds Near Hyde Park, Lucas Street Me Thats incredible we live in Lucas as well at no. 27 Amazing we live at no.

Telephone contact

Some time ago I was working in Cambridge and needed to make a call from a public phone box (pre mobile phone days). As it had been some time since I had used the BT credit card I had forgotten the PIN code for it. I decided to call the help phone number to see if they could provide it for me. The phone was answered by a young man whos voice I thought I recognised. He ask me my name and when I told him he repied with "Hello Dad". I appears that unknown to me he had taken a part time job at the BT call centre in Bristol where he was attending university.

Birthday coincidence

My (STEP)FATHER WAS BORN ON jANUARY 26TH. I am the eldest of my mother's three children, but the only one not related by blood to him. MY ELDEST SON, HIS FIRST GRANDCHILD, WAS BORN ON JANUARY 26TH. MY HALF BROTHER'S ONLY SON WAS BORN ON JANUARY 26TH. Significantly, on my father's 65th birthday, my son was 21 and my brother's son was 18.

Birthday Cheque

About ten years ago a mate bought an old farmhouse in Washington, Tyne&Wear. It was semi derelict, so needed a lot of work. One day the owner started to clear out the loft. In amongst all the the usual rubbish there were several black bags full of returned cheques. Apparently banks used to return cashed cheques to the original writer. Eddie, the owner, pulled a cheque from a random black bag and handed it to Alan (another lad that was helping in the house. The cheque was written the day Alan was born!

God's dice players.

Coincidently I have been considering coincidence might well lie at the basis of religion. Consider: Prayers or sacrifices are offered for rain and coincidently it rains. This is taken to mean that prayers have been answered. The more coincidences fall in line with supplications the stronger the magic. There are even people who specialise in this: shamans and priests use coincidence to verify their beliefs. What do you think?<br />

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