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!

Men In Black and dissecting the brain

The short of it: On my way to purchase a small firearm, and I do mean small, I was comparing the size of my soon to be owned pistol with the one used by Will Smith's character in the first "Men In Black" film as they are both tiny weapons. After I picked it up, I stopped by a friends house and showed him the pistol, to which he noted "it's like the gun off MIB!" which was strange, but, it is reminiscent so nothing too bizarre. A few days later (today, as I'm writing) I was searching for some journal articles online and had to resort to searching sci-hub (shoot me), but it didn't appear. I clicked on a link to sci-hubs twitter, and the very top post was talking about astronomy... and linked a picture from "Men In Black." This unnerved me. Anyway, a bit later I began searching for brains to practice dissections on and happen to have found some sheep brains, and later in the afternoon, I began talking to my neighbor. When I entered her apartment, she showed me a pig she was dissecting, and let me borrow the remains as she hadn't touched the head.

Good Samaritan

For the longest time I hadn't known what the Good Samaritan law was (in america meaning basic legal protection for those who assist a person who is injured or in danger) until I came across it in a book. That very day, I walk into history class and out of nowhere we begin discussing it and the teacher asks "who knows what this law is", and myself, having found out literally hours was very surprised as to how this conversation randomly started up.

Appeared in a Podcast

I was in English class and we were discussing the current meme of the "FBI Man watching" and how our phones are potentially tapped and the FBI and NSA have all our information. We were simply joking about it and so on my way home I decide to catch up on a podcast that was aired last November, continuing on from that morning. As I begin listening, about two minutes in the subject changes to the FBI man and how he could be watching us.

Serenity Prayer

I was at work as a nurse in the hospital, and my boyfriend (who had intended to marry me etc.) and I ended up breaking up over the phone at work, which was kind of a dick move on his part, but so goes it. I was devastated and began sobbing at work, and was so sad that I really couldn't continue my shift. I loved this man. Loved, loved, loved him. They found someone to cover for me, and I walked a short distance to get on the elevator to the underground parking ramp. Now, keep in mind, I'm crying, anxious, etc. It's not a normal thing for me to have to leave work due to being inconsolable obviously. I stepped on a piece of paper in the elevator. It was quite small (maybe 2 inches x 2 inches) and had the first part of the Serenity Prayer written on it. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. It was quite pertinent at the time. Now, there was not litter everywhere or really anywhere; this was overnight and the hospital was quite deserted.

The Swiss guy

As an adult, I went to a B&B in France run by my friend's father (she had dual citizenship in France and the US, her mom was American) in a town of about 500 people that required a 5 hour train ride and a 45 minute SCHOOL BUS ride from the train station (with kids). It would be considered an obscure location; it wasn't in an otherwise touristy area. Its only claim to fame was being on the "culinary tour" circuit where guests could learn traditional French cooking from the owner who was also a chef. There was only me and an older Swiss couple (that spoke English) staying there. At breakfast, I chatted with my friend and the Swiss couple. The Swiss couple had found the B&B through a usual directory and weren't acquainted with the owners like I was and were not American. They were just there that day on the way to somewhere else and weren't partaking in any sort of culinary tour or whatever. Turns out, the man of the couple worked for the same company as my father (Seagate) at one of its European offices and routinely met up with my dad on business trips in Singapore.

Re-occurring coincidences

I am so happy to have come across this website, now I know that I am no going crazy. Here are my chain of events, If I met a guy and there is a romance interest the following happenings, I will constantly here his name anywhere and everywhere and even the name This will be a conversation with or without me over hearing, turning on the radio, in the shop or at work. Once the love interest continues I will hear the name of home address, as someone’s surname, someone yelling out the name is the street, a song the name of the city or street, etc Then for whatever reasons the love interest dies and the whole cycle would draw to a halt. These love interest does not necessarily develop into an intimate relationship. I noticed this happens constantly, the only way I could describe the whole experience was like ‘spiritual harassment’ or being ‘under a spiritual radar’ looking at any potential relationship that I could have this is the only way I could describe it.

Morning coincidence

I woke up one morning and my eyes weren’t even open yet. I turned off my alarm and as soon as I did, the guy on the tv said, “Good morning, sleepyheads.” I keep my tv on at night and usually the same tv show(different episodes)plays all night on Hulu. I just thought it was weird, that that moment of that episode was playing the second I woke up.

Black rose

i saw black rose profile pic of my friend richa on whatsapp. Then same time i saw a facebook photo explaining that black roses are just dark red roses. amazing god explained me that on same time i saw a profile pic.

The Triple Goddess Ring

A few months ago, I found a ring on the floor of a fast-food restaurant and decided to keep it instead of returning it because it looked cheap - it had a gap in the back (broken circle) the way many plastic rings do. I guessed a little girl must have dropped it and the family wound't bother to look for a cheap piece of jewelry, and something told me to keep it. I put it in my coat pocket and forgot about it. A month later, I started reading about the Wiccan religion - mostly in curiosity. I liked the idea of a "high priestess" - a card in the Tarot card deck that represents a link to the subconscious mind. She represents femininity, inspiration, and higher knowledge. I related to this symbolic card because I had just recently begun reading and thinking about spirituality, challenging different perspectives with my philosophical one. A few hours after I had learned about the high priestess, my sister said she found a ring on the floor and thought it was mine. She returned to me the ring I had picked up about a month ago.

Coincidence? Or something more?

This may be just a case of pure coincidence.. but I’m not so sure . Maybe something more. First, my mother and I were both Gemini. Sign of the twins. And I was born on my mothers birthday. She and I were extremely close my entire life. Connected beyond explaination. My mother died from breast cancer on February 22, 2012. My chihuahua, who loved my mom and my mom loved her. She lived another 5 years after my mom had died. Until she past away on February 21, 2017. (A day before my moms death date) I found it kinda of interesting but didn’t really put a lot of thought into it. Nearly a year passed, after the chihuahuas death. When my other chihuahua, the daughter of the already deceased one, came to an unexpected death. She died on February 4, 2018. That evening I realized that it was nearly the anniversary of my moms fathers death which was on February 6, 1999. (2 days after the second chihuahuas death, but many years before) if that makes any sense lol So basically my pets died nearly the same days as my mother and her father had died. 1-2 days difference.

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