48 years later

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.

Several remarkable coincidences in recent years, the latest being in October 2009. My sister and I had a 9 day holiday on a dude ranch near Tucson, Arizona. Another British family was there at the same time as us but it was only on the drive to Tucson airport to return to Heathrow that we got talking to them, apart for occasioinal small talk during our time on the ranch. It was through that that we discovered that she lived near the town where my sister and I went to boarding school, almost 200 miles from home in the south-east. We then found that she also went to the same school and, on hearing this, my sister asked her her maiden name. When she told us, my sister immediately exclaimed "You were in my class!". That was 48 years ago.
Total votes: 313
Date submitted:Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:53:29 +0000Coincidence ID:4193

Comments

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 14/01/2012 - 5:00pm

On holiday in Provence in the south of France in 2007, my husband and I were having breakfast in the garden of a quiet hotel a little off the beaten tourist track. As we were finishing, a man (wh turned out to be English) came over from a table on the other side of the garden, having heard English voices. It was his first time in the area and asked for advice on places to visit. After several minutes his wife came ove and immediately asked: "Do we know you?". I thought it an odd question but, before I could answer she asked: "Did you used to live in Sidcup?". "Yes." I said. "We bought our first flat there when we got married. But," brushing it aside, " that was 35 years ago." She then asked our names and immediately said "We bought your flat!".

Anonymous (not verified)

Sat, 14/01/2012 - 5:07pm

Having a drink one evening after work with two colleagues to say farewell to one of them who was leaving to get married, she asked us to tell her about our weddings. Hilary suggested that I go first so I recounted the story and history behind a tragic death in the family in the months before our wedding. As I spoke, Hilary was looking more and more astounded and finally exclaimed: "It's odd but exactly the same thing happened in my family". She then told me her family name and, of course, she was related to dead cousin's husband. Her immediate reaction (jokingly) was to say "Oh, I hate you. You were a bridesmaid at ******'s wedding and I wasn't even allowed to go because I was too young!"