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.

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Well I Never!

Professor David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University wants to know about your coincidences!

Bumping into people in unlikely places

I’ve just been listening to your programme about luck on Radio 4 and wanted to post some coincidences for you. A few years ago, I was attending a conference in Leicester and, after a meal out with my colleague returned to London that evening by train. We stopped at Wellingborough (on the same line) at about 9.30pm and I glanced out of the window, only to see my son standing exactly adjacent to the window. Bear in mind that the entry points for the two stations are not in the same spot on each station so one of us must have made a conscious decision to be in that location. I did not know he was working in Wellingborough and he did not know I had been to Leicester. Neither therefore had we planned to be on the same train at the same time and in the same place within the train. He could have caught the train and sat in another carriage and I would have been unaware of his presence. A similar coincidence had happened to me some 30 years previously when I had been working in Newcastle and had popped outside the hotel I was working at to post a letter.

Summoning instantly like magic

This happened today 03-14-2019 15 hours we went with my father to the lawyer's buffet, which is 3 km from home to see the union lawyer, in charge of the issue of my dismissal from work. With the wait and attention, we were there 1 hour and a half. Finished everything went to visit my grandmother, where I also left some papers. An hour later I go to my house that is 1 block away. Half an hour later I remember that I must do a paperwork and I need one of the papers left in my grandmother's, so I go back. At the door I met the doorman, who knew my subject and asked me how I was doing. After an introduction, I'm about to describe the background of my defense, and at exactly the same moment of saying "this lawyer", my lawyer walks by the door, to which I greet with surprise, just like her.

Friend Moving

For weeks now I have been upset about my friend moving out of New York to go to Georgia. I was asked to go out on a Saturday night and it happened to be a St. Patty's party with a special Dj. As soon as I walked in they said don't forget to sign up to win a trip to see The Chainsmokers. At this time I had no idea who that was but I was going to be a team player and sign up. While I was on the dance floor I heard my name announced. "Cassandra you won the trip" I was told I would be contacted within a few days. I got a call that Tuesday that I won a trip for 2 that included air fair, hotel and tickets. I asked where and he said he would send me the list soon. I received the list that day and glanced over it. There Were almost 40 major cities on the list. Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, and other Major cities in California stuck out to me. My friend left Wednesday morning for Georgia. Late that night I glanced at the list of cities for the concert again and noticed Atlanta Georgia was on the list. Today, Thursday, I told my friend that I saw Georgia on the list. He said yes, I saw it too and it is on my birthday. The last time I saw him was on my birthday.

Common Home Owners Meet

Our Coincidence Story: In 2017, two couples who had never met were on a flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles with the Big Island as their ultimate destination. The four individuals were seated together in a 3-seat row with one across the aisle. During the flight, we talked about our experiences living in Minnesota and some of our travels. Before landing in Los Angeles, Susan and Gene exchanged emails and names so Gene could share a story he had written about the geological history of the Big Island. Susan seemed to recall Gene's name from living at 1715 Lindig St. and asked Gene if he had previously lived at that address. When he said "yes," Susan said "Wow, we lived in the same house!" Gene and his spouse built and lived in the house between 1969 and 1984. Susan and her spouse were the second buyers of the home in 1991 and sold it in 2002, and the original harvest gold kitchen stove was still operating after 33 years! So we not only lived in the same house, but we used the same stove years apart!

Birth/death patterns and 50 pattern

I was born on my paternal grandma's 50th birthday. She died on the same day (not year) that my husband was born. My mom was born on her maternal grandpas 50th birthday. My son was just a few hours shy of being born on my moms 50th birthday (his grandma). My paternal 6th great grandpa was born April 25, 1736 and my paternal grandpa was born April 25, 1935. My husbands grandpa was born April 25, 1930. And that's not all... my husbands grandpas name was abraham, same name as my paternal 6th great grandpa. February 18th date: (All events happened on my paternal side) My 4th great grandpa (Harvey)'s wife died on 2-18-1900 My brother (who later passed in 2009) was born on 2-18-1986. My cousins daughter was born on 2-18-2009, same year in which my brother would die, 4 months later, 6-6-2009. Something interesting about my brothers death is that I had a very vivid dream a couple weeks before the event. I dreamed that my brother killed my youngest daughter. (I only had 2 kids at that time) in my dream, I wrote him a letter in prison and told him I would forgive him but was cutting all times with him. I told everyone close to me.

Family birth and death coincidences and pattern of 50

I was born on my paternal grandma's 50th birthday. She died on the same day (not year) that my husband was born. My mom was born on her maternal grandpas 50th birthday. My son was just a few hours shy of being born on my moms 50th birthday (his grandma). My paternal 6th great grandpa was born April 25, 1736 and my paternal grandpa was born April 25, 1935. My husbands grandpa was born April 25, 1930. And that's not all... my husbands grandpas name was abraham, same name as my paternal 6th great grandpa. February 18th date: (All events happened on my paternal side) My 4th great grandpa (Harvey)'s wife died on 2-18-1900 My brother (who later passed in 2009) was born on 2-18-1986. My cousins daughter was born on 2-18-2009, same year in which my brother would die, 4 months later, 6-6-2009. Something interesting about my brothers death is that I had a very vivid dream a couple weeks before the event. I dreamed that my brother killed my youngest daughter. (I only had 2 kids at that time) in my dream, I wrote him a letter in prison and told him I would forgive him but was cutting all times with him.

Hyphenation coincidence

On 2 October 2016 I was reading a book (Critical Assembly - A Technical History of Los Alamos during the Oppenheimer Years, 1943-1945). I read the last line of page 117: During the summer of 1944, however, 3-inch testing became less de- I turned over and continued reading: cay series, is ordinarily isolated from lead concentrates. Although en- I realised that this did not make sense. I then discovered that I had turned over two pages, and instead of reading the top of page 118, I was reading the top of page 120. And yet the "cay" at the top of page 120 fitted nicely onto the "de-" at the bottom of page 117. I looked at the last line on page 119: production. The isotope 210Po, which occurs naturally in the 238U de- So, there are two successive odd-numbered pages, both finishing with "de-" and I had chosen that precise spot to turn over two pages. In case you are wondering, the top line on page 118 is: sirable as the target and projectile designs became more complex and

The Scorpio.

10 years ago I was working for a company but I did not like my job. I started considering to go back to University to attend a Master degree. But this would have meant to quit the job and to use all the savings I had. My partner suggested me not to be silly and to keep working. In his opinion I was going to leave a certain future for uncertainty. I was therefore very hard fought: to quit or not to quit? Then, 5 days before the deadline for the application's submission at University some coincidences began to happen. The first day I was on a queue and the person in front of me was wearing a jacket with a scorpio printed on the back. The day after while at the gym I saw a person with a tattoo on his arm: a scorpio again. The third day I was laying on my bed. I turned my head on the right and I found on the wall a real scorpio. I had never seen and never saw again a real scorpio in my life. (Moreover it has to be said that I was not living in countryside, but in a city). My zodiac sign is Scorpio. I read these coincidences as the sign that I had to do what the most intimate, not the most rational, part of me wanted. I quit the job and submitted the request at University.

Everything Comes in Perfect Timing

So my coincidence is more like a series. It is January of 2019 scattered with synchronicity after another all centered around this one person. I met this guy over the summer, moved away, moved back and he was dating someone. Then we reconnected at the beginning of January through a mutual friend who I met 5 years ago at a hostel and was back in nola visiting his partner who just moved here. This guy was roommates with my friends partner...so we reconnected and found out that he was going to be at a tree planting my nonprofit was organizing two days later. Great so saw him at the planting. Next coincidence comes in going to a concert. I wasn't going to go to this show and last minute my friend invites me. I hadn't been texting this guy all week then while I was already at this show he texts me "sorry I've been so busy this week, we should meet up soon but I can't talk now I'm at this show at tips (i.e. the place I am)". So right, we happen to be at the same concert.

Synchronicity of words

My story is very similar to the person who wrote about reading a word (and the same word is said at that moment or one second later). This happens to me almost daily, as expressed by the previous writer- from 2017. Does anyone know what this means? Please write me back, a comment/information, Thank you Sagacious11

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