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!

The Good Samatitan!

Summer 1987: The Family in Distress. The Background: I had dropped Mary (wife) and Ian (my son) off at the farm (in laws place), and had just set off to drive to Heighington (home, 20 miles away), when I was involved in serious accident in my Cortina. In trying to get out of the way of a skidding new Datsun, I was hit hard on the drivers side and both offside doors and the rear quarter were very seriously damaged. The doors were jammed shut. Incidentally, after I had extricated myself (the car was pushed completely off the road by the impact) the other young driver (who incidentally had just borrowed his father in laws two week old car) first words to me were “Its your fault, you were in my way”! How I controlled myself I don’t know, but since his skid marks were 165 feet long (measured by a policeman), and the car behind me witnessed everything, the result was judged to be not my fault at all. The road conditions were damp, and the silly young fool was going far too fast for the conditions, and he locked his brakes when he saw me, and never took his foot off the pedal until after he had hit me.

Keep in touch

A few years ago my husband and I were due to travel to Bordeaux with my sister and brother-in-law. We were about to leave when my 23 year old son asked me to 'look out' for his old schoolfriend. We had known his friend for many years and knew that he had left the UK a few weeks earlier to seek work and accommodation in Bordeaux. I asked for his friend's address, phone number . . anything. But he had no settled address, couldn't afford a phone, was feeling rather low and couldn't speak French. There was an email address he occasionally accessed but I didn't know the name of our hotel we would be staying in as my sister had booked it and we were just about to leave. Once we were in Bordeaux I soon became aware of the number of young people living on the streets. I began looking at each forlorn young man in case it was my son's friend. On our third day in Bordeaux I was returning to our small hotel, which was situated in a quite, narrow side street about 5 minutes from the city centre. We were due to leave the next morning to travel to another town. I suddenly heard my name being called out loud from the top of a tall building next to our hotel.

Meeting friends

My first coincidence happened many years ago - I was adopted at birth and didn't find out until I was 16. Two years later when I was commuting to London, I met a girl on the train who became my best friend. Sadly she died aged 31. When I was 45 I decided to search for my birth family. During my search I was given the information that my adoptive mother had been married before. I obtained my adoptive parents' marriage certificate and found the name of her previous husband - my friend's father! My friend knew, but was sworn to secrecy, and she kept that secret. I am still in touch with her mum [her dad died 10 years ago] and we often talk about this event, but my adoptive mother has never confessed. My second coincidence is also connected to my adoption. Whilst searching on the internet for relatives of my birth father I was contacted by a girl who said that she was also researching the same surname on behalf of her partner. We discovered that her partner and I were cousins - our great-grandfathers were brothers. Next she told me where they lived- just 2 miles away!

What! The same Hitchicker, again!!

1989: The Hitch Hiker! It was about early June 1989, and I had just left Horsham (S of London), after being interviewed (successfully) for a Head of Technology (Teacher) job at Forest Boys School. I was driving back to Scotland, in one go, and it’s a long way. To relieve the boredom, after stopping at the services at the M25 end of the A1, as I was leaving the services (about 6.00pm) I picked up a hitch hiker. He was a nice educated chap, a TV cameraman for Yorkshire TV, and as we had very similar electronic) interests, it really helped the journey (north up the A1) , and I dropped him off at the turnoff to Barnsley. Now move forward mid November 1989, and I’m at the first services on the M74 on the south side of Glasgow. I’m heading to Lincoln on the first leg of a journey back to Crawley. I pick up a hitch hiker, and it’s the same cameraman!!! What’s the chances of that? He was just as amazed as I was. And at one point in the journey I’m going past the same turnoff on the A1 (to Barnsley), so I even know where to drop him off! And as I said previously he’s as amazed and perturbed at this most odd coincidence as I am!! He was a very nice chap!

lost earring

I was walking through Canterbury city centre from my home to college one morning, a distance of about three quarters of a mile. When I got to college I noticed that I had lost an earring. On the way back at lunchtime I was recounting this fact to a friend. For some reason, I looked down at the pavement as I was telling her about it and the lost earring was there on the ground, right by my foot. It is a unique pair of earrings so there was no question that it belonged to someone else.

Lottery

A friend played a lucky dip on the Lottery and was given the 6 numbers I had played every week since the Lottery began.

Spooky Christmas Tale

Coming up to Christmas last year I needed the help of a property maintenance company in London and was recommended one called Melchior Gray. At around the same time, our youngest grandson was rehearsing his part in his primary school's nativity play in Edinburgh. His part was that of the Wise Man, King Melchior; and his surname is Gray.

a few things

my grandaughter has same birthday as my uncle-------I have two half brothers called Mark------my mother was born on the 7th of the month,I was born on 21st of the month(7x3) my daughter was born on the 7.7 on the 7th day of the week( 3sevens) my sister was born on 17th and my Grandaughter was born on 27th

Losing your friends.

I had the misfortune to lose a dear friend to a good woman. First I lost his attention and then when her ambition moved them to another city contact dwindled further. We are however still in touch and I was delighted to hear news of a pregnancy that produced a fine child called Luke. As my friend and his wife submit to the ties of parenthood we are breaking free. Our son, Charlie is now 14 years old. Before our last visit to Graham, Sandi and the now one year old Luke we raided our attic for a few more of Charlie’s childhood treasures. On reaching the home of our friends, I am stood to one side of their door as my wife rings the door bell. Held in my arms is a large, open cardboard box shaped like a tray or drawer. It contains Christmas presents and the salvaged toys. The door is not answered by Graham or Sandi. It opens slightly and we are greeted by Harry Corbett’s famous glove puppet Sweep. Unseen, I rummage awkwardly in the box which contains Sooty, Sweep and Sooh. Before the door is opened fully I am able to reply with a Sweep. I rather feel it would have been better had I put my hand into Sooty! Our offer of friends for their Sweep was gladly accepted.

Gelert lives!

When I was a boy, in the 1950s, I was on a motoring holiday in Wales with my parents. My father was a recording artist with the BBC, who needed urgently to contact him - but no-one knew where to find him! Someone in the office recalled that he had mentioned 'something to do with a dog'. And another, more knowledgable, person recalled the 13thC legend of Gelert, the 'faithful hound' of the distraught Prince Llewellyn. 'Aha', they thought, 'we'll phone the one and only [in those days] hotel in Beddgelert'. We were actually based at a hotel in Dolgelly - hence the mis-over heard reference to a 'dog' but, on that particular day - of all days, had elected to visit Beddgelert - of all places. And, after visiting the grave of the famed, martyred dog, we were dining at the hotel. Halfway through that evening dinner, the head-waiter tentatively approached with the news of a phone-call for my father from the BBC. Of all the places in Wales - and at that very moment as well - he had been found! And all because of a misunderstanding too!

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