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!

Shopping surprise

HI David While living in Wiltshire, in 1993, my wife & I went to Hong Kong & China to celebrate our 30th anniversary. On a 3 day trip to Canton (as it was then) we met with a number of British people in our party of about eight. Among these were a newly wed couple from Sussex. Having moved to Cheshire, in 20ii we made a shopping trip to the Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village at Ellesmere Port and while in Marks a lady came up to us with a pushchair and said, 'Hong Kong 1993'. The same half of the newly weds from 1993 and they had moved to the Wirral. Quite a surprise and what luck to have coincided. In 11 years in Cheshire we might have visited Cheshire Oaks 3 times. Hope this illustrates the randomness (sometimes) of coincidence. My wife was a statistician but what were the odds? Mike Downing

All adds up to 30.

My birthday is 23rd July , July is 7th month total of month and year is 30. My wifes birthday 28th february. 2 +28 =30 My sons birthday 21st September 9 +21 +30 My daughter's expected birth date was 24th June we though it was amazing, but she was late in arriving and was born 4th July 1981. I wasnt until several years later i realised when adding all the digits of her borthday 4 7 1 9 8 1 they add up to 30.

Car coincidence

Some years ago my wife and I went on holiday to the USA. We had no definite travel plans, except to fly into San Francisco, pick up a hire car and then tour around staying in hotels and motels. The only other plan was that we had booked a flight back from Los Angeles 18 days later, where we would drop off the car. We travelled around covering hundreds of miles, including several days in Las Vegas, and worked our way back towards LA. Two days before our flight home, we decided to stop in a hotel in Ventura. When I parked the car in the hotel car park, it was next to an identical car - model and colour. When I looked more closely I was astonished to see that the car number plate was the very next number to mine. I don't remember the number now, but, say, if mine was XY246895 this one next to me was XY246896. I left a note under the wiper of the other car pointing out the coincidence, but next morning the car was gone with no reply!

She walked in

I was looking round a new and very attractive shop in Cambridge with a friend and she remarked, "Jane (her daughter in law) would love it in here, they've got just the sort of things she likes." Even before she finished speaking, Jane walked into the shop and began looking round.

Cricketing Acquaintance

In 2004, I was on holiday in kephalonia (greek island), and I was sat reading a book Michael Atherton's Autobiography (England Cricket captain), I noticed across the other side of the pool another man reading the same book, an hour or so later I wondered across to buy a drink and on the way I stopped to talk to this chap, I asked him what he thought of the book, we had a chat for 5 minutes, as I was about to leave, i said that I noticed he had a strong lancashire accent and asked what part of the county he came from, he said Bury, I said that I used to live in Bolton 30 years ago and I played cricket in Bury. He said which club did you play for I said Walshaw, the look on the man's face was unbelievable, he said I have just realsied I know you, you are harvey Wiles and you used to be the opening batsman, I said yes thats correct, he said well when you played I was the scorer for the cricket club, and I once bowled you out in the nets as 13 year old. We had a great chat and spoke about the people who I knew then, he still lives there in Bury, but I moved to Yorkshire 35 years ago. We still send each other Christmas cards and have the odd email

My Old Car

About 4-5 years ago my wife and I were on a Caribbean cruise. One evening at dinner on a table for 6 with 2 other couples who had all first met on the cruise, where dinner places are set at random, were discussing hobbies. When the conversation got round to me I said that I used to restore vintage cars. In reply to a query 'what cars' I said that the first car I restored was an old French car and I doubted that they would have heard of the name - 'It was a Delage'. One of the ladies on the table (Rita) said 'I've heard of a Delage - I've had a ride in one! I knew the owner'. I said 'What was his name, John Perrot?'. Rita replied 'Yes I used to work for John, I was his personal assistant!' John Perrot was the guy to whom I sold the car over 30 years prior to this event. I suspect there are about 20-30 Delage cars left in the UK and of the model I sold there are probably less than 6! They were built from about 1910 to about 1950 when the company ceased trading. John lived in Wimbledon at the time I lived in Hertfordshire. What are the chances?

Past address on google maps

When referencing google maps the drop down window asks "would you like to use your current location" Don't allow. Allow. We pressed don't allow and therefore random global location appeared on the screen. Amazingly, the location showed a street in California which had been our home address 1967! What are the odds of this happening?

The number 8

As years have passed I am now retired, the number 8 still crops up frequently in my life. As a child we lived at a house with the number 80, round the corner lived my Nana at number 88. At that time it did.nt mean much until my parents moved to a house number 26. It was then that I started to add up any number I could think of that was relevant to us when I moved to house number 44! We owned three cars when I was young, Registration numbers were: HOL 989, SFH 611 and my mums car was KAB 44. All adding to 8 when added and reduced to a single number. I then tried phone numbers, again our first phone number, 26306, another 8!, our next number when we moved was 850544, 8 again. Moving on, my father sadly passed away in 2008 aged 88 on 01.06.2008 My daughter was recently married on the 17th of the month at 17.00 hours. My partner was born on the 17th of the month and my birthday falls in the 8th month. My family think I am a bit odd adding up any numbers close to us, there are other examples as well but I have just given a few here. Maybe this is just coincidence but I would be interested for any comment!

the same birthdays.

Salomon Carlebach born 28.12.1845 His grandson Julius Carlebach born 28.12.1922 His grandson Nathaniel Carlebach born 28.12 1997 Julius Carlebach was my husband.

Nick Perrott

At one stage in my working life as a sales manager my team of managers 10. Four had been born on the same day as myself. To make it more "spooky", my birthdate is 25th December.

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