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!

'Phone calls

I often 'phone friends to be told that they were just thinking of me or talking about me. A few times I have been in the middle of 'phoning some-one but then suddenly decided to 'phone a different friend to be told that they were really pleased I'd 'phoned because they were really upset about some crisis in their lifes.

Guess Who?

About 7 / 8 years ago my partner had a share of an "antique shop" in the "Stables," Camden Lock. One Saturday he had gone to the shop leaving me in bed. Whilst in a light sleep I had a dream that I was in the shop and Sean Connery came in. Later that morning my partner 'phones me and asks "Guess who came into the shop?" I asked whether it was some-one I knew or some-one famous (as we occassionally had had famous people at the shop.) He answered "famous," so I immediately said "Sean Connery." He was amazed, because I was right.

lifesaving coincidence

whilst windsurfing on a remote reef break in the carribean a few years ago my board and rig became separated by equipment failures. i struggled in the waves/water for some time to reconnect the board to the rig and had just decided to leave it and try to swim back with the board on its own.the only safe option. at that moment an english guy turned up offering help and together we managed to effect a repair on the water some 500m out at sea.i was able to sail back safely to the beach( there is no rescue cover in these remote places). i never saw the guy again until one day whilst windsurfing at my local beach two years later( on the south coast) i passed on the water a guy that needed some assistance and stopped to help. i thought i knew him from somewhere but not from where. when we both returned to the beach we suddenly realised that it was from the above incident.he was on holiday and happened to be at my local beach!

Birthdays

My father shared the same birthday as the late HM the Queen Mother; my mother shared the same birthday as H M Queen.

Bermuda and the Isle of Wight

I was waiting to board a BA flight from LHR to Madrid and fell into conversation with the wife of a couple rerouted because of the Iberia strike. We discovered that we had both lived in Bermuda in the 50s and 60s, been to the same Bermuda school and then also spent tine on the Isle of Wight. Her husband looked on amazed as we knew common people but not each other - probably because of a 5+ y age difference. We would not have met had the Iberia pilots not been on strike!

christmas coincidence

Last Christmas (2011) myself and my partner received exactly the same cards from my son and his wife and my daughter and her partner. Then, on Christmas day, I opened a present from my son and my daughter - exactly the same present and both of them had also bought my partner exactly the same present. Also, last year my sister went onholiday to the Canaries and began talking to a gentleman who used to work our dad!!!! Dad died a few years ago but still a coincidence. The following may not be that much of a coincidence - my partner and my youngest grandson share the same birthday. My other grandson shares the same birthday as my partners son-in-law.

Birthday Coincidence

My father had the same birthday as my mother in law (12 Feb) My sister had the same birthday as my second stepfather (Sept 9) My wife had the same birthday as my stepmother (Mrch 9) My mother's second husband had the same birthday as her -same year. (Aug 19 1935) On thweir own, not exceptional, but all together...

Beirut twice in a day

I was talking on the phone to a friend who I hadn't heard from for a couple of years. He was telling me about his time teaching in Beirut. While I was still chatting my father came into the room with a vintage headscarf he'd bought for me at a car boot sale - it was screen printed with views of Beirut.

premonition

i usually get two or three premonitions about people who will come in to my pharmacy or about items i may get for prescriptions every day.i also get thoughts about things which then come on tv on current news and once or twice i have had thoughts of things and then gone on to see them on my car journey eg a bill board for the lotto came up on a coach journey on holiday and i had thought of a lotto win for about half an hour before.

Houses

When my mother died a neighbour's daughter bought my mother's house. 16 years later my daughter bought my neighbour's house.

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