One Billion Birthdays
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.
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I am currently staying in Mumbai, India at a women's hostel. In my first few days of arriving my roommate was helping me to get some information sorted to be signed up for internet services. As I do not speak Hindi she was the middle-person giving my address, name and birthday over the phone. Suddenly she smiled really big and exclaimed, "you were born 17 July?!" I nodded, not understanding her excitement. "That is my birthday as well!"<br />
As it turns out, we have the exact same birthday, just ten years exactly apart. In a country of over one billion, and in a city of around 17 million, I just happened to be randomly selected to live with someone also born on the 17th of July. A coincidence if I may say so myself!
Date submitted:Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:31:07 +0000Coincidence ID:6060
