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!

Birthdate/telephone number

I recently tracked down the son of someone who I thought had worked with my late father before WWII. He being ex-directory, I wrote to the address I had discovered, inviting him to make contact. I gave my telephone number 2931907. The gentleman on receiving my letter out of the blue, was somewhat guarded. His father had been born on 29/3/1907. Alan

Birthdays

I have 2 daughters. My first was due. To be born on September 21st the birthday of my father. Sadly he died when my wife was 6 months pregnant with Jen. She was actually born 23rd September. My second daughter was due to be born on 17th March, the birthday of my grandmother. My grandmother died when my wife was 6 months pregnant with Ruth. She was born 15th March

Premonition

About 20 years ago I spent New Year in the Lake District with 2 friends. Whilst in a car park in Coniston, I thought I saw a friend from University (Phil Bischler) at the far side of the car park. I walked purposefully towards him but as he turned towards me to see who was approaching, I realised that it wasn't Phil but by this time was so close that I had to explain my approach. That evening, we stayed at Ambleside Youth Hostel. I thought I saw Phil Bischler sitting in the common room on a sofa reading a magazine. This time I was more circumspect and walked up and down the common room (he was reading, oblivious). Finally I had the courage to call out 'Phil ?'. It WAS Phil Bischler this time. (Strangely, something similar happened a couple of months later in Redhill. I thought I saw one of my sister's friends (Juliet Smith) approaching but it wasn't. A few seconds later, Juliet Smith came round the corner. This was less improbable as she lived locally. Nothing like this has happened to me since)

Middle of Rainforest

My name is Clive S and I was head of Science at a comp in Nth Devon. During 2006-7 I organised a gp of 6th formers to travel to Honduras with Operation Wallacea. One week in the cloud and rain forest, one week diving off the coast. We earnt money for this with events, extra work etc. In July 2007, we spent 3 days in the village of Buenos Aires on the edge of the cloud forest before splitting ( randomly) into two groups. Each group had a member of staff and we walked to different parts of the N.E national park in Honduras to the camps. Ours involved a 2hr hike down to a steep wooded valley. When we arrived we were greeted by the young woman who was the camp manager. She said that she'd been looking forward to seeing us as she came from Devon too. Later I asked where she came from as I originally came from a villsge near to Exeter. She said, to my surprise that she came from somewhere called Tedburn St Mary (my home village). I said that she must know the village milkman (Peter). She said oh yeh... I used to work on his milk round ( my job from 72-80!!!) I then asked if she ever went to the youth club....

Meeting in Majorca

My husband took a new job and one of his first tasks was to attend a sales "jolly" on the island of Majorca organised by the previous incumbent of the role he had just taken on. In conversation with one of his brothers he discovered that he and his wife were taking a holiday in Majorca and they would overlap with our time there. Once on the island we met up with brother and sister-in-law. On one occasion we met for lunch and while walking down the street we met with another brother. So three brothers were all in Majorca at the same time without any prior consultation. A coincidence?

Name matching

Much bigger coincidences have happened in my life (if I could just remember them!) but I think it's funny that my husband's parents' names both start with the same letter (Ja), and his name and my name both start with the same letter (Cl).

Binomial + Bulgakov

Yesterday I taught my Year 13 class binomial expansions and I suggested to a friend he should read Master and Margarita. Today I read Marcus Du Sautoy's tweet: There's an interesting application of the binomial theorem in Bulgakov's Master and Margarita to predict the death of barman Andrei Fokich.

Brothers Birthday Coincidence

(Fionntan) Page was born on the 8th June 1976, and his younger brother Tane Page shares the same birth date (8th June) but a different year (1981)

Three birth generationsday

My father-in-law had his birthday on the 29th July. His daughter my wife had the same date. Our twins in turn also had the 29th July. What are the odds of this? However did Aquinas not say that coincidence was a proof of God? Robert G

Boat Tail

In 1989 we bought a Triumph Stag in need of much tender loving care (more than we realised, but that's another story...). Many years later, when travelling up the M6, my wife pointed to a dinghy being trailered behind a scruffy Volvo estate. The registration number on the back of the trailer did not match the Volvo - but it did match our Stag. When we got home I examined the wiring on our partially rebuilt Stag (I did say it needed a lot of work) and found traces of trailer wiring. How long the mismatch lasted before it was spotted by either the Police or the forgetful owner is not known.

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