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!

Mom's Favorite Songs

My mother died very suddenly at home in 2000. Still in shock, I worked at putting together a tape of her favorite songs for the memorial service the next Sunday. I found a copy of "Fascination" her favorite song and a few others but couldn't find "Bali Hi" from South Pacific; one she always played and that always reminded me of her. I had to play the tape at her service without Bali Hi. The very next day I had to drive to southern Colorado because my band had to play a high school reunion. The trip took four and a half hours with stops for gas, food and traffic. I finally got to the hotel where we were to play and went in. I found the ballroom where we were to play and the very second my foot touched the threshold of it, "Fascination" started playing over the ballroom sound system. You can imagine my reaction. As if for total confirmation, the song that followed immediately after it was "Bali Hi" Two obscure fifty some year old songs. Message received mom!

Urinary coincidence

We have experienced two remarkable coincidences with a couple who are our closest friends. We now live some distance apart, they are south west of Birmingham and our home is north Oxfordshire. In the first coincidence I was driving down the M1 returning from a meeting in Harrowgate and needed to take a comfort break. This was the only time I have used that motorway in years. I pulled into a service station north of Leicester and went to the gents. Looking to my left, a few stalls away, also relieving himself was our friend. They were returning from a short break - which we were not aware of - and he also had the need for a comfort break. The M1 is a road they also rarely use. On another occasion, we were on holiday with relative in the Lake District and knew that the friends were away on holiday in Europe. We were driving back to our holiday home after a walk and stopped at a zebra crossing to see it was our friends crossing the road. They had to cut short their European holiday because one of their children became ill. When they got home the child wasn't as sick as they thought and to salvage something of their holiday they came to the Lakes for a long weekend.

Secret Santa

At work this Christmas i entered into two secret Santa draws in two different departments on two separate days. Each draw had about 25 names in and on both occasions I drew my own name out first and had to put it back in and draw again.

Birthday coincidence. Name coincidence.

My son was born on his Granddad's Birthday. I share the same birth date and year with my son's uncle. Several years ago I lived in Dunstable and went to Houghton Regis upper School, I moved to my present area in 1977 years later in 1991 I moved to a new house only to find my next door neighbour not only used to live in Dunstable at the same time as me but also went to the same school as I did at the same time but was in the year above me, we both had son's called Ross and had almost named another son the same but had changed our minds about our original choices at the time.

ken on plane

travelling on a plane to vietnam sat next to a man who said you not know where i live in gloucestershire - village called pilning- i said i knew as lived in next village some years before. he said he was on a charity cycle ride going south to north. we were going north to south. when we were halfway down vietnam i heard a voice call from a cafe " hello there " guess who !!

Marriage of coincidences

My ex-husband and myself had birthdays two days apart ie 8th and 10th Feburary, our daughter and her husband have birthdays two days apart, 7th and 9th July. We also both had younger brothers called Lindon who were left handed and remained single until their early 40s, both have only recently entered into long term relationships, and we both had paternal grandmothers called Sarah Ellen. We had two daughters together, I randomly put our names into google and in America there was a couple with the same Christian and surnames as us who also had two daughters but alas their names were different.

Birthday Miracle

My Grandfather and my Granddaughter share the same birthday, the 26th March, five Generations to the Day.

Old Friend

Ten years ago I used to live on the south coast of New South Wales and my wife and I were close friends with a couple whose marriage broke up and they went their own ways. We have twice visited the area where we used to live over the past three years. The first time we were having lunch with friends in the seaside town of Kiama when the husband of the couple came in. We had a long chat and we found that he was single but moving around a lot. We visited the south coast again this past weekend to attend a 50th wedding anniversary. With time to spare on Saturday we went searching for a decent cup of coffee in a little town called Berry. With everywhere full, we decided to drive south to Nowra. We found a coffee shop and went into the secluded rear garden to drink the coffee. Guess what, our old friend was there, drinking coffee with a group of people!

Two winners for the price of one.

My amazing story took place before the Grand National horse race in 1978. A few days prior to the race I was asked to have a go on the sweep, I did so and picked out the horse Lucius. The next day somebody else was also doing a sweep for the same race and asked me if I would have a go, I did so and and much to my amazement I picked the horse Lucius. Not being happy with this I asked if I could put the ticket back in the bag and pick another but my request was refused. On the day of the race I was walking round Worcester and decided to go into a second hand book shop, and while I was in there the Grand National race was on the radio and I heard the words'Lucius is past the post first. I did not bet on the horse but I was more than happy to pick up my winnings from both sweeps the following monday. Geoff Wall-Davis Birmingham, England.

ken meeting

i went out with a girl in gloucester a couple of times -i moved to london and 2 years later we met by chance on a tube platform for 5 minutes. asked where she was living now. discovered she had just moved in to the very flat which my sister had just vacated.

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