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!

birthdays

5 of my friends have their birthday on the 23rd of April including my husband and his best friends first child. The 23rd is also st georges day and Shakespeares bday and the day he died?

Four people share a birthday

I was born on my mother’s 21st birthday – 12th February 1968. A few years ago I was chatting with the elderly gentleman who lived opposite us (he has since died), and I mentioned that it was my birthday next week. “Oh really,” he said. “Which day?” “On Wednesday the 12th.” “Oh, that’s my birthday too,” he said. “Really?” I said. “What a coincidence! It’s always been a special day in our family, because it’s my Mum’s birthday as well.” “Ah yes,” he said. “Mine too.” He was quite old and a little deaf, so I thought maybe he’d misunderstood me. “No, you see I was born on my mother’s birthday.” “Yes,” he said patiently, “me too!” I had never (before or since) met another person who was born on their mother’s birthday, although I’m sure there must be quite a few around. But what are the chances of meeting someone in the same situation, whose birthday was also 12th February?

meeting former colleague

In 1980 (age 15) I took a holiday job in newport - a tiny town in west wales (I'm from Cardiff). One of the locals who worked in the same cafe was called Topsy (similar age) (an unusual name). At the end of the holiday I returned to Cardiff and embarked on education and a career which took me all over the country. In 1998 I attended a theological college in Durham and found myself sharing a study with Chris (I'd never met him before); he was married to the same Topsy.

Mother and wife birthday

My wife and my mother were both born on August 13th, albeit in different years. I tend not to forget to got either of them a present.

Birthday coincidence

I was born on the 20th July 1979 (which, I have heard, was 10 years to the day after the first moon landing). My half-sister (same Dad, different mums) died of cancer on the 20th July 1988, and then my half-brother had his first daughter on the 20th July 1993.

same town

On the 30th of December I went out with two people for a drink and the subject came up about New Years' Eve. They told me one of them would be in Oxenhope, West Yorkshire ringing bells. I went out on New Years eve with two people I hadn't met before who had been long-term partners many years ago. After midnight a text came through `happy new year from Oxenhope with the ringing of the bells` A few minutes later I was chatting with my two new friends who told me they'd lived together for ten years in West Yorkshire. Where? `Oxenhope` was the reply! I'd never even heard of this place before the 30th.

Birth dates

My brother and I were both born on the 26th of the month. His birthday 26th October and mine is 26th September.

David Edwards

In the late 1950's I was coming home on leave from Northern Ireland to my parent's address in Suffolk. It was a journey of some 24 hours and I needed to change London underground lines at Bank. I stood in front of the doors as the train approached the station. They opened and my father (the late Percy Edwards M.B.E.) stood opposite me, waiting to board the train on his way to an appointment.

Happy birthday baby

A friend of my wife is a teacher and the wife of one of her colleagues gave birth. There was much hilarity in the staff room when the sums were done and the date of conception turned out to be his birthday. Two years later she gave birth again on the same day!

Random telephone call

Whilst I was walking past a public phone box, it started to ring. I answered the phone and found it was my aunt. She started chatting to me normally, but after a while I said "I am in a phone box, why did you ring here?", She replied, " I rang your phone number". I explained that it was in fact a public phone box. She had rung an old number which she had not deleted in her address book, from when we had changed our number about 10 years earlier.

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