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!

Mrs. F. V

Several years ago we flew to Australia with a stop over in Japan. The hotel we stayed in, in Kyoto had no. 326, our next hotel in Cairns had the no. 3246. Our next stop was in Melbourne and we stayed for a few nights in The Great Ocean Road area. Pur room no. was 4 the house was no. 4 and we hired a car which only had the No. 4. Someone suggested that we entered the lottery with these numbers, which we did. The numbers which came up were 2 3 4 32 39 and the star no. 44. I did actutally get 3 nos. together and received only 10\$ Australian. Since then I have received many co-incidences, which I will relate to later.

birthday coincidence

My three childrens birthdates are: 6 July, 7August&8September----6/7 7/8 8/9.Not all in the same year obviously. Geoff

wrong identity

Approx. 24 years ago while leaving my doctors surgery at the back of our local shops I saw my youngest daughter ( about 14 yrs old ) emerge from the back entrance of the small supermarket with another female person who I did not recognize. As my daughter should have been in school I started to approach her & find out why she was not there. My daughter is quite unmistakable with red curly hair & not tall for her age. It was not until I had got up very close to "my daughter" to tell her off that I realized it was not her. The shock was enormous, it was my daughters double in every way, thankfully I did not actually open my mouth to give her a ticking off & suggest she get herself back to school. Also, Christmas 2011 my eldest daughter & myself gave my husband a bromometer as his present. Neither had any idea what the other was getting, considering how difficult it is to buy for him it seemed strange that we both thought of the same thing. I must admit that one was digital & the other not but it still seemed an odd thing for us to do.

Felicity S

I was travelling with my husband in Ecuador some years ago and we decided to visit the market town of Otavalo, Stupidly we managed to lose the keys to our hire car. We had earlier visited a bar where the owner spoke good English so we went back to ask if he could help us which he did and because of his kindness we stayed for lunch at the bar and started chatting. We then discovered that his daughter's best friend was also a friend of mine in England. I don't know who was the most surprised, the bar owner or my friend when I told her the story. By the way, my 2 grandchildren, brother and sister share the same birthday, 2 years apart .

Three Continents....

My sister lived in South Africa for many years, but re-married and came to live in Wales. She had many visitors and often would take them to a tiny, interesting church at Patricio, in the hills behind Abergavenny. When Suzy and her family came from South Africa, they went on such a visit: photographs were taken. Now move on 6 months: My sister is on holiday near Cape Town, staying with a friend who also does Bed and Breakfast. There are two ladies from London staying. Everyone is enjoying a glass of wine on the terrace when Suzy (now home) calls in to see my sister. The photographs taken 6 months before are brought out and with the mention of the word Patricio one of the ladies from London asks to see the picture. There is one house in the picture and she exclaims that she owns that house. She adds that she wants to rent it out and asks my sister to try to find a suitable tenant when she returns to Wales. Some while later my sister put the lady-from-London in touch with a chap called Mike who she thought might make an ideal tenant . They meet and go up to the cottage.

Memories of Claremont in Clermont

While studying abroad in France, emailing my mum about plans for my return, I suggested we should perhaps have a family picnic. She answered that she was thinking the same thing. Not so strange, granted. For some reason, I recalled a photo of myself as a little boy wearing my granddad’s shoes at a picnic and casually asked where it was taken. It was at this point that things took a turn for the truly surreal. Claremont lake, she replied, as I sat in a university residence in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Somewhat shocked, I looked up pictures of Claremont lake in Surrey. Since I can remember, I have always been able to recall a scene which I was never sure was reality, dream, or some mixture of the two. It was a beautiful place, the epitome of serenity; it was my haven. And sure enough, there it was on my laptop screen, the exact scene from my memories, just as perfect in reality as I’d always imagined. As I scrolled through the photo collection found from my search, there he was, my granddad, in the same park, only in the present day. Unbelievably, the photo collection belonged to my mum’s cousin. A few more clicks, and there I was, looking back at me: myself, over 20 years ago.

Student Next Door

In 1962 we moved from Kingston, Surrey, to Mountnessing, Essex. Our daughter Ella was 5 at the time. One family who looked at our Kingston house turned it down, but bought the house next door. Fourteen years later Ella went to Swansea University. She shared seesions with the English tutor with another student. He said he came from Surrey. He was the son of the man who bought the house next door. We had had no contact with them since then. Ella's husband has the same birthdate as my wife. Brian

Meeting American tourist

Many years ago my father took our children to the Isle of Wight for the day. While there, on a Sunday, he was asked the way to somewhere in Cowes by an American tourist. The following day, Monday, the same American tourist asked my father for directions in Victoria Street, London. My father asked him if he found his way in Cowes, the previous day, before directing him again.

same name by marriage

Both my sister and I married men with the initials RG and surname Williams who are not related. So my mother has two daughters with the married name Mrs RG Williams.

Baby bonds

I discovered I was pregnant when my partner was at work so I went over to my friends house to tell her as I was so excited when I walked in as her kids were around I said I have to tell you something in a minute (as I often said) and she said oh my god I know. She somehow knew that I was pregnant. Then told me how she thought she could be pregnant too. Well she was. We both found out we were having girls and her due date was a week after me. I then had my daughter at exactly 39 weeks weighing 6lb 3oz after a week my daughter was weighed and she had dropped to 5lb 15oz on this same day my friends baby was born at exactly 39 weeks weighing 5lb 15oz. Quite a few coincidences throughout and it was lovely to both have our babies at the same weight together!

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