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!

Chance encounter

In 1984, my friend - Kenny Mundie - and I were colleagues who worked night shift. One afternoon, Kenny picked me up and we drove into town. As we drove, Kenny mentioned a friend of his called Abbie Copeland whom he was convinced I must know. I said I didn't know Abbie, but I mentioned that I had heard of him from a friend of mine called Mike Geddes. Kenny said that he didn't know Mike, but I was adamant that he must know Mike. We were still debating the matter when we stopped behind a Ford Transit van at a set of traffic lights. As we waited for the lights to turn green, I looked to my left and Mike Geddes walked into view. I pointed towards Mike and said to Kenny, "That's Mike Geddes!" Before I could attract Mike's attention, he walked up to the van in front of us, opened the passenger door and climbed into the passenger seat. The van driver turned to greet Mike, giving both of us a clear view of his face for the first time. Kenny pointed at the van driver and exclaimed, "And that's Abbie Copeland!" I would love to know what the odds are of this chance encounter.

Janes.

This is someone else's coincidence that I experienced. Back in the pre-internet days I used to book my business flights through a travel agency based in Putney, London. On having to change flight details on a trip I rang them one day. "Can you tell me who was dealing with your flights?" the voice enquired. "Yes, it was Jane." I said. "Do you know which Jane? It should be on the itinerary." she asked. Me, studying at the flight itinerary for any hint "It just says 'Jane 4'?", and surprised to hear "Hold on, I'll put you through." When I got to speak to Jane 4 she explained that there were only 5 people that worked there, all 5 of them called Jane, and they had numbered themselves to avoid confusion.

Princess Di's death date

I woke up today with a strange thought: "I'm probably about the same age as Princess Diana was when she died." I can't recall ever having this occur to me in my life. I'm not a particular fan of Diana or the Royal Family, and they generally occupy very little of my mental bandwidth. Out of curiosity, I looked up Diana's age of death. She was 36 years and 61 days old. As of today (when I looked this up), I'm 36 years and 60 days old...one day younger. This becomes even eerier if I compare our ages this way: Diana was one day shy of being 36 years and 2 months old when she died. Because her birthday (July 1) preceded 2 31-day months, and my own birthday precedes a 31-day month followed by a 30-day month, I am one day shy of 36 years and 2 months today, the exact same "age" (if the definition of age is stretched a bit). This was actually the first comparison that occurred to me before I counted the days exactly. Regardless of which definition is used (resulting in my being the same age or my being one day younger than she was at death), the fact that this occurred to me today is unsettling.

Same town, same road, same house

In 1950, I moved with my parents from 5 Lena Avenue, Monkseaton, Northumberland, to live in Southern England. At a conference in Oxford in 2014 for those affected by obstructive sleep apnœa syndrome (OSAS), I recognised another attendee's Geordie accent. The number of attendees was about 300, with a fair number of partners and friends as well as those diagnosed with OSAS. An investigatory conversation revealed that we had both lived in Monkseaton, and in Lena Avenue. My further questioning revealed my collocutor had also lived at number 5. Both of us had moved from Monkseaton in childhood and now lived some 280 miles apart. The selective elements (Sharing an interest on OSAS, being interested enough to attend a conference, our meeting and striking up that conversation) seem to reduce the likelihood of our discovering this common feature of our lives, but I am unable to estimate just how unlikely such an event might be.

Professor Sameh Morcos, Emeritus Professor of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheffield

I left Egypt my country of birth in the summer of 1973 , a time that was extremely difficult for professionals to leave Egypt. I had several coincidences that facilitated obtaining the relevant documents and permission to leave the country. The first I needed a permission from the ministry of health which is not easy to obtain but I got it as it happened one of my friends was working at the minister office who facilitated the success of my application, after that I needed a permission from the military authority, I had postponement of my military service at that time and to leave the country I needed their permission, it happened that my colleague at work his neighbour is a senior officer in the department that deals with issuing permission for travelling and helped my application for permission to travel which was not easy to obtainthe.

Winning lottery amount equalled stolen amount of cash exactly

My wallet was stolen from my University office shortly after my mother had died. Inside was her old bank card with a slip of paper with her PIN number, yes very silly I know. The thief withdrew the remaining balance of £57 at a cash line within half an hour. A few days later I was notified that I was one of the small prize winners in the Strathclyde University Staff Lottery. The prize was £57.

Mother, wife, daughter birthdays

The end of April is an expensive time for me: my mother's birthday is on the 28th, my wife's is on the 29th and my daughter's birthday is on the 30th.

Sisters to the Power of Cubed

One of three sisters, who came to live in a house on Three Sisters Road, Long Island, became the mother of three girls.

PHOTOGRAPHS CONTAINING A SURPRISE

The biggest coincidence I have experienced occurred when I was about 16 or 17 years of age. I am now 73. On the evening that it occurred a teenage friend of mine and I planned to go out together, and we visited his sister’s house for the purpose, as I recall it, of enabling him to have a bath. While I was waiting for my friend I sat down in the lounge of his sister’s house and. to while the time away, began flicking through a publication that I think was entitled ‘A Pictorial History of the Second World War’* or something similar. This publication comprised 10 or 12 red hard-covered volumes and was housed in a small wooden bookcase that had been purchased with the books.* I cannot remember whether I flicked through one volume of the publication only or more than one, but I came across a picture of a large landing craft on a Normandy beach from which, as I recall it, soldiers and vehicles were embarking. The soldiers were dressed in full battle dress with foliage on their helmets, and I recognised one of them as the husband of my friend’s sister i.e. the person in whose house I was sitting.

Multiple choice

I used to play golf with a chap called Dave whose long term partner's name was Carol. Dave's sister was also called Carol and her husband's name was David, whilst Carol's brother's name was David and he was married to a Carol too. MY David and Carol had two children and continued the family tradition by naming them Carol and David. I've lost contact with him now but last time I saw him the two teenagers were respectively engaged to a David and going out with a Carol. Family gatherings must have been very confusing.

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