Cambridge Coincidences Collection

Well I Never!

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

Met relative of father's colleague.

In the mid 1970s I spent a year working at a clinic in what was then a small spa town, Leukerbad, high above the Rhone Valley in Valais Switzerland. There were about 10 of us and we came from other countries in Europe, Canada and Australia, none of us had met before. I sent some photos home to my parents and my father took them in to the tax office in London where he worked, to show his colleagues. One of his colleagues was surprised to recognise his niece, who lived in Australia, in one of the pictures.

Piccadilly

I was attending a party some years ago in America in a remote Massachuses town Westport , I think, during the party I was sailing people across a river and back for fun. A family that I didn't know got in and we started to talk about England and it's oddities.....I told them that if ever they visited London that they should walk down Piccadilly where they will meet someone they know. They laughed at this and of course didn't believe it.

Repeated sightings on business trip

As an avid 'people-watcher', a couple of my strangest coincidences have arisen due to me observing fellow travellers when on journeys. The most noteworthy occurred when I was travelling to a meeting in Brussels. I was passing time in Fiumicino (Rome) airport and a couple caught my eye. They appeared to be business colleagues but somehow were very distinctive and caught my eye as there also seemed to be a frisson between them and he was much younger. When I boarded my late-afternoon flight the same couple were sitting in business class near the front of the plane.

Home from home

In 1976 my (now ex) husband took up a job teaching at the primary school at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and I went with him. At the end of 1977, we went to an NUT Christmas Dinner, which was for teachers at British Schools from all over the island and their spouses - probably about 100 people. There was no seating plan. We sat next to a couple we didn't know and got chatting. It transpired that the man's mother lived at No.7 and my parents lived at No. 19 of the same road in north London.

Birthdays and Wedding Anniversaries

My partner's birthday is on my parents' wedding anniversary. My birthday is on his parents' wedding anniversary. It does mean we never forget birthdays or wedding anniversaries!

family history

I was born 1941and moved from the north of england to Derbyshire 50 years ago, and was given the names of 5 octogenarians and 1 nonagenerian who may remember my grandparents after they moved into this tiny village in the north of england in 1903. I was to meet up with someone who would introduce me to these 'old folks' but first I decided to seek out a shop or store to buy some sustenance. About 5miles away I found an Asda store and drove into the library car park instead of Asda's. I saw an old lady on her own who had just come from the library and was on her way to Asda.

sun and moon

I have always thought that one of nature's greatest coincidences is the fact that when the moon passes in front of the sun, the relative distances are such that the discs are of almost identical size when viewed from earth, thus enabling us to see the outer corona of the sun. I am not aware of any physical square-law or such-like which explains why this should be so. V J P

Former Home

I grew up in Lytham St Annes. 50 years later I booked self catering accommodation on line to return there to see my old school, tend my grandparents grave etc. The address of the property meant nothing but on arrival I realised it was where I had lived with my parents, now both deceased, when I was 7. Shortly afterwards we moved to another house in Lytham. Although not absolutely sure I think I had the same bedroom I had as a child. Susan.

Same Address 20 yrs apart

2 yrs ago my second wife and I retired or so we thought to France, after 6 months we ran out of money and I came back to work. I stayed with friends for about 3 months and then looked for a place of my own. I went to see a shared house but wasn't impressed. I went to look at a bedsit but the owner didn't turn up, so third time luck I went to see another bedsit in Bristol. It was perfect so I moved in. When I told my wife she said something about the address rang a bell but couldn't think what it was.

GREYHOUND CRASH

In the USA the Greyhound Coaches are a popular and extensive means of travel. They have a very high safety record so it was a most unfortunate coincidence that the very first time I used one on my first visit to the States we crashed. It was on the New York-Philadelphia road one wet day and I suddenly felt the coach go out of control and start to skid. We did this for quite a way then hit another vehicle. It was not serous and no one was hurt and there must have been something wrong with that stretch of the road as several other vehicles skidded there as we waited to be collected.

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