amazing Italian coincidence

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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.

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In the summer of 1964 my family were camping by the sea near Pisa. Two of our children were digging in the sand, and another youg boy joined them. I went over to watch; the other boy was also English. "Where do you come from?" I asked. He could only answer "Palace Road". His father came to join us. I asked him "Where is Palace Road?", because the name immediately reminded me of the Palace Road in Cardiff where, 20 years earlier, I caught the bus to school. "Cardiff" he replied. I said, "How amazing. I used to catch the No. 25 bus to school outside the house where our family GP lived; a Dr. Davies." He said, "I'm Dr. Davies' son, and now I live there; I too am Dr. Davies." I told him, "Your father brought me into the world, and was my doctor as I grew up." I've always thought of that as being the most amazing coincidence I knowl; a chance meeting on an Italian beach!
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Date submitted:Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:59:50 +0000Coincidence ID:4020