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!

Godwin's Spongebob

Whilst discussing 2 threads on Facebook,one concerning animal rights and the incidence of Godwin's law (the potential to mention Hitler, I happened upon a mickey take of the ' Don't tell him,Pike' sketch from dad's Army - and posted this to my thread,as it mentioned 'Hitler is a twerp'. At the exact same moment,the remoaner who was on the other thread said 'Are we going to do this dance again?' and posted Spongebob dancing. Perhaps there should be a new law of the potential to use Spongebob Squarepants.

Time to Shine

Just home from shopping, I decided to play the track 'SHINE' on Amazon's Alexa. Part way through the song the advert for Wrigley's chewing gum came on which uses the tag line 'Time to Shine'. I know we're in the age of targeted marketing -but that is ridiculous!

meeting in a Marrakesh suburb

While on holiday in Marrakesh, I got a little lost and ended up in a nondescript area north of the centre. I sat down at a cafe and spied a work colleague (around 100 of us). We couldn't quite believe it. When this happens at Euston Station, it's not a coincidence; but if it happens in the Moroccan equivalent of Kilburn, I think it's quite a good one.

Words come together

While riding in the car, I turned my head to the right and saw a sign which read, “Wildfire,” at the exact instance that a radio news correspondent said the word, “wildfire.”

I should listen to my boyfriend

Years ago, I fell in love with a long instrumental harp and shakuhachi flute track playing on the radio, and called the station to find out more. It was called "Heavensent" by Japanese composer Osamu Kitajima from his CD "The Source." I went to my nearest music store in Iowa to find it, and the clerk told me it was out of print. I couldn't go on eBay or Amazon: these were the dark ages before they existed. But I searched in retail and used CD stores for at least a year with no luck. Then I ended up living in Tokyo, Japan, for a year, and once again searched and was told it was out of print. When I returned to Iowa, I fell in love with a Japanese man, and we eventually moved to Phoenix, Arizona. One day I mentioned how much I still wished I could have found that CD, and he said, "Why don't you look at Best Buy?" as if I hadn't just told him it had been out of print for years now, and I couldn't even find a used copy in JAPAN.

Shirty golfer

Some years ago I acquired a shirt from a discount shop when I bulk-bought a load of summer shirts. I have never worn it. A few days ago, we were packing for a trip away and I thought it would suit the weather. Within the trip, I specifically decided to wear that shirt today. Having put the shirt on, I sat to catch up with my Facebook feed. A local organisation had posted an link to video item that was broadcast on ITV yesterday. It was a celebration of a local tourist golfing attraction, Brown’s in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. It opened 86 years ago having been designed by the most famous golfer in the world. The long-neglected shirt I was wearing was branded Henry Cotton. The designer of Brown’s Family Golf Course was, of course, Henry Cotton.

Same name, same street

When I was in primary school I went to a French, English bilingual school. Having a French father meant that I had been given the name Aurélia and the ability to speak French despite having lived in New Zealand for my whole life. In my whole lifetime, I have only ever met one other person name Aurélia, and she just so happened to go to the same school as me. We were in the same class, and after getting to know her I discovered that she lived in the same street as me. Quelle surprise!

Coincidence or Coincidence?

Coincidence or Coincidence??? • When I met him he was dating a girl named Christine, whom he called by the nickname Chris. • He dumped Chris to be with me. By the way, my nickname is Jenny and his name is Daniel. • Daniel’s mum’s name was also Jenny, whose husband was married to a woman named Christine before they got together. Daniel's grandmother was Jenny and her grandad was Frederick. My brother's name is Frederick. • Anyway, Daniel and I got together but 11 years later got separated because he hooked up with another woman named Kris, whose nickname is K. • During that time I met a guy named Roy. However, I didn’t let what we shared go beyond friendship because Roy at that time was seeing someone named Janelle. • Oh by the way, my nickname in college was Jenelle. • It turned out Janelle’s birthday is August 17. Guess what? Daniel’s birthday is August 17, 1977. • Anyway, going back to K…her mom’s name is Rose. My mom’s name is Rose. • I studied elementary in Dominican College. K studied in the exact same school when she was in high school. • K lost her first baby a few days after the baby was born.

Looking for a painting teacher

Four years ago I read 15 books about learning to paint. I was researching what type of painting I wanted to learn. I settled on a very obscure school of art called American impressionism invented by an almost unknown artist named Henry hensche who worked out of Massachusetts. After making my choice I lamented that since hensche was dead I'd never have a teacher for this method. I limped along with the book trying to teach myself. One Sunday I'm having a brunch at my house with 6 friends who knew I wanted to paint, but did not know any other detail. One of the guests randomly announced that the art teacher across the street studied with hensche. I call that a coincidence.

Engagement Party Coat Check Coincidence

My partner and I were hosting an engagement party for close friends and family, a total of about 60 people had arrived. It was hosted at my partner's Aunt's house in Hamilton Ontario, and her teenage cousin was put to work and in charge of taking coats, and this was a pretty important task, since it was December and our guests were dressed accordingly. The party was a hit by the way. At the end of the night, I decided to go out for some post party drinks and words of advice with a couple of my friends from Ottawa. So we donned our coats and set off for the bar, where I listened to my one friend (married three years at the time) patronizingly passed down nuggets of marriage wisdom. He went on for two hours, until closing time. We went for chicken with white sauce after (Hamilton late night special) and then parted ways. He never took his coat off once. A few days later, got a message from him saying he had somehow taken the wrong coat from the party. After some calls were placed, we found out that one of my partner's grandmother's friends (who was in their 80s and about 6 inches shorter than my friend) had somehow taken the wrong coat.

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