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!

Just Cute

two seconds ago, a man on TV was making a speech, culminating with "Now look out of the window and tell me what you see", at which, my pet bird flew to the window and looked out.

Unlikely (unreal?) date clash

In Autumn 1994, a workfriend rang with good news. "I have the schedule for R.E.M. concerts for next year and am able to get tickets. We are thinking to go on July 22nd if you want to come". We had both been wanting to see them for ages and they hadn't toured for about five or six years. It was an easy decision, I replied: "I've nothing in diary for anytime next Summer or indeed next year at all yet, please get them". My friend confirmed later than day that she'd bought tickets for a few of us and I thanked her, already looking forward. About an hour later, two of my best friends from University rang just as I was about to go out. Super news - they had just got engaged. I congratulated them heartily. They continued:" Yes, we've set a date already. You're invited, all the guys from Uni will be there, it will be great! It's next year - July 22nd."

Happens all the time

Saturday 28th January 2012. My mate sent me a text with 3 guitarists names in it, 2 I knew one I didn't. I asked what band he was in, answer White Stripes. Still none the wiser. What was there biggest hit? Seven Nation Army. I listened to it on youtube. Never heard it before, no recognition what-so-ever. Sunday 29th January 2012. Listening to Capital Radio about 11:00 ish. DJ annouces he is to play the new single by runner up in the 2011X-fact, Marcus Collins, and the record is.... Seven Nation Army. . . And this type of thing happens all the time in my life.

address

Dear Sir During my attempt at sending you an e-mail, my computer froze and I was in the process of editing the text.Please do not print it on your website as it is incomplete. Regards Sheila

Gretna Green

On 22nd Oct 2011 my husband was clearing out the roof space and I was checking through the rubbish. I found a copy of the Belfast Telegraph dated Mon. 25th April 1960 and noticed an article about a 19 year old labourer David Ervine who eloped to wed at Gretna Green. On that same evening of 22nd Oct 2011 when reading the Belfast Telegraph, an article by Paul Carson called Yesterday Once More. This contained a section headed " Love-struck teen elopes to Gretna Green to marry". It was the same article I had read a few hours earlier. Vicky Graham

Birthday & relationship coincidences

My birthday fell on the same day as my mother, and my younger sisters birthday fell on the same day as my father. Also, I ended up marrying the girl who lived 6 doors down from me all through our childhood. I moved away for a number of years, and after comming back home, met up and have now been happily married for 18 years. This has a further coincidence, as her parents lived opposite my grandmothers house before living 6 doors apart from me.

How often do coincidences go unnoticed ?

I sat with a new work colleague who had come from abroad. I had known her for 6 months. Her holiday had just been cancelled due to unrest in the area she was to visit. I said she could consider going to a remote country B off the tourist trail, a place I had visited 20 years ago as an alternative. She said she had visited it 20 years before aswell. I asked where and she had made exactly the same journey. I said when and she recalled the same month, we looked at one another & then we recognised each other. We had met up and travelled together for 5 days 20 years previously. It was only because her holiday had been cancelled that we found out.

Coincidence about a scientific article on coincidences

I was struggling to descend from a snow bound Scottish Summit when I bumped into 2 mountaineers who helped rope me down. It was only as we descended that we realised we had met before at University. Relating this story to my friend he remarked that of course mountaineers will meet on mountain tops. When I got home and read that very weeks New Scientist it contained an article on coincidences including a cartoon of 2 mountaineers meeting on snow bound mountain top saying " Havn't we met somewhere before ?" A coincidence about coincidences.

Marriage brings two pairs of matching birthdays

Our daughter got married to someone we did not know, from another town. As the marriage approached we discovered that my birthday was on the identical day to that of his mother. My wife's birthday was on the identical day to his father.

A life-saving coincidence

I was a pilot in the Indian Air Force. During training we flew basic aircraft and one of them was the American Texan. I flew around 75 hours on this aircraft before qualifying on fighters. I was posted to Bangalore after a couple of years on a ground duty job. At the Air Force Base there was a Harvard 2B aircraft which pilots flew to keep up their hours. Harvard is very similar to the Texan and I had no problem flying it since the cockpit configuration was almost identical. The flying characteristics too were the same.After a dual check by one of the more experienced pilots I was cleared to go solo. The next day I was changing into flying overalls in the crew room. Two pilots who had just finished flying the Harvard were changing back to their normal clothes and were discussing the Harvard aircraft.One of them said, "Man,this Harvard is like the Lambretta scooter. It has a reserve setting in the fuel tank." The other one replied." So you have tilt the aircraft to start it, eh ? Ha, Ha ! ".

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