Cambridge Coincidences Collection

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Well I Never!

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

Meeting Darwin

I was at a writer's lunch party and sat next to a writer called Darwin who turned out to be Charles Darwin's great great granddaughter. This was interesting enough but that afternoon, I went on to stay with my daughter and her family for the weekend. She announced that the following day, we were off to visit Down House which was the home of Charles Darwin. A coincidence, I thought- but that night, I opened a novel I was very much looking forward to reading. It was The Fear Index by Richard Harris. The story began with the arrival of a mysterious parcel which contained a first edition of a book by Charles Darwin. Not only that, but chapters were headed with quotes from his books. These coincidences were too much for me. I freaked out and had to put the book on one side.

pin numbers

In 1990 I moved from the Bay Area to Minden NV for work. I needed a new bank and new phone, all the basics. Back then the phone company would give you a personal PIN so you could make long distance calls and charge them to your home phone number. It was a four digit number that they randomly generated. I also got a new ATM card with a randomly generated four digit number from my new bank. They were the same number! allen pierson

Opera coincidence!

On 11 November 2011, I went to see a performance of the Rameau opera Castor and Pollux at the ENO with a friend who had bought me a ticket as a birthday present. It was the first time ENO had ever done this opera and I believe it was the first professional production in the UK possibly ever, certainly for many years. There were just eight performances. Although we had texted/phoned each other several times since then, I had not seen her again until Saturday 14 January 2012. I would normally see her more frequently than this. Later that evening after I got home, I turned on the radio only to find that Radio 3 were broadcasting a live performance of this production on Opera on 3 ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0195pkc#synopsis ). I have a vague memory from the programme that the 11 November performance was the actual one that Radio 3 recorded but I am not absolutely of this - it would be an even neater coincidence if it was. Jo

Address coincidence

A few years ago I and three of my closest friends all lived at number 15 in their respective road or street. I lived, and still do, at 15 Chaffinch Road, Beckenham. My closest male friend at that time lived in Christchurch, Dorset, at a number 15, and two other female friends lived at a number 15 in Penge and Sydenham in South East London. Incidentally, in my childhood and adolescent years, from age 5 to age 27, I lived in a road that formed one half of a horseshoe. For the last 35 years I have also lived in a similar road that forms a half of a horseshoe. I did not realize the coincidence when I bought the house. The house of my childhood did not have a number! On another tack, I very often think of a famous person, and find a few days later that they have passed away. I wonder if I am the only person to do this?

two conincidenrs in one month

In late 1941 travelled in a troopship to Halifax Nova Scotia. There embarked on American transport (They were still neutral). The ship had bcome the USS Wakefield but I had travelled to the USA in 1939 to visit friends when the ship was the USS Manhatten. Later, somewhere in South Atlantic I was having a chat with a young American officer about my own age then 22. I told him about my prewar trip to the USA. He asked where I had been and then the name of the people I stayed with. I told him. They are ny parents best friends he said. We kept in touch for many years after the war.

Arthur H

At a pavement cafe in Athens in September 2010 my wife and I got into conversation with an Australian couple at the next table. When I enquired whether they had any English ancestors they told me that they had, and had visited their graves in the West Country. I then happened to mention that a mystery in my family had been the disappearance of a great uncle who had emigrated to Australia in 1910 and had never been heard of again. When I mentioned that his name was Arthur H, the Aussie man looked stunned and said that his father's name had been Arthur H! For a moment we both thought that we might be related as second cousins, but then realised that this was unlikely since we were of similar age. However, he was sufficiently intrigued by the coincidence to offer to email me if he was able to find any lead on my great uncle in Australian archives on his return home.

Strange meetings

In 1975 I employed a young Chinese Girl who left the company after marrying another Chinese person and thought no more of it other than I heard she had left the country Then came a series of strange co-incidents. In 1989 I was in Malaysia working with a company on a privatisation project as technical consultant when I received a fax from another company in Malaysia who had been given my name by someone I had worked with in Singapore in 1976 that had given my name as reference to the Managing Director. I telephoned the company and explained I was in Malaysia on other business. He asked where I was and I said the Hilton. He asked which side and which floor. I explained and he said look out of the window and I will wave to you. We met up and I agreed a contract with the company. I started work and during one of my visits I decided to go downstairs and change some money in the bank that was in the same building. Just as I was about to go the company PA brought me a cup of tea and so I did not go and it was probably 2-3 hours later when I finally went. I was standing in the line waiting to be served and a voice said “Mac W......s”.

KEITH L. H MSc.

1) In 1969 I was serving in the RAF in Cyprus I had a close friend John B. JB married in 1971 and in due course returned to the UK. His tour of duty was ahead of mine, which was to conclude in 1972. No contact was kept with JB and his family. I left the RAF in 1973, JB stayed in. In 1980 my wife and I returned to Cyprus for a holiday. Whilst there we decided to take in some of the old haunts, Lukas Bar in Limassol in particular. As I waited for service at the bar across a crowded room I heard the cry of , "strewth Keith H.!" It was JB and his wife who were again serving in Cyprus. On this occasion our links were maintained until JB passed away some 3yrs ago. 2) As well as RAF service I had 15 years in the Army, 1983-1998. Being a keen distance runner I went out on my usual Sunday morning run, apx. 0800hrs, autumn 2003, some half mile in to my run, a car stopped to ask directions to Swynnerton Army Training Camp,which was 10 miles from my home, it was one of my old mates from my Army days. We had not seen each other for at least 8 years. 3) In 1987 I took part in the 1st ever Everest Marathon in Nepal, that started at just below base camp.

Dads old girlfriend!

While on a family holiday in Australia with our 3 children in 1993, we booked ourselves on to a boat trip for the day. As we boarded the boat, we heard English voices up ahead ( the only other English people on the boat!). It was a big boat and our paths didn't cross with the 3 couples (all friends) until after lunch. A dingy took people to the island for a swim, 12 at a time, and yes, you've guessed it, we were in the boat with them. It turned out that 2 of the couples were visiting the 3rd, who had emigrated years before, and were all old friends. On enquiring, as to where they came from, all the couples were from the same area as myself, Rainham in Essex. It turned out we knew some of the same people and had lived in the same road etc. One of their sisters had been to school with my mum, but not only that, the expat wife had actually been my dads girlfriend about 45 years before.!!!!

Family tree

A friend & I stayed in London for a weekend, it happened to be the day before Princess Diana died. The Saturday was pleasant so on the way back to our hotel we decided to stop for a drink, my friend went inside to get the drinks while I sat outside. There were only two of us sitting there and the gentleman engaged me in conversation asking me what we were doing in London & where we had come from to which I replied that we were from Portsmouth. He then said that he was researching his family tree and did we know anyone in Portsmouth with the surname Darvill - my mother's maiden name! London is such a big place with so many millions of people and yet we bumped into one another.

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