Cambridge Coincidences Collection

Well I Never!

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

Baby Song

My daughter was born late at night in hospital by Cesarean. I was alone, with my stunning new born daughter in my arms, for what was a serene and special hour whilst my wife was in recovery. Come the time of departure it was perhaps 2:00 in the morning of a freezing cold day in March. After scraping the ice from the car windows, I sat in the cold car, waiting for it to warm up and decided I'd listen to the radio instead of a CD.

Unlikely encounter

Between 1966 and 1968 I was a post-graduate student in the psychology Dept. of Bristol University. Also working there was Jim (I forget his surname), a negro post doctoral fellow from Washington State, USA. I left the University and went to work at Kamuli College, in Namasagali, Busoga District, Uganda. The school had about 400 students; Africans other than 3 0r 4 Gujarati immigrants. I introduced British A Level English into the school. Rehana Minhas was one of my initial students. Rehana was a good student. In 1970 Idi Amin came to power in Uganda.

Bus Stop Meet Up

My (NOW) wife Tracy and I were waiting for a bus in a village in Scotland, we had only been there a few minutes, the bus was just coming round the corner, when a family came down a track, they were passing through on a long-distance hike . My wife had met the same family the year earlier when she was on a long distance hike with her ex. We said a quick hello and all went on our way.

The Coindcidental Call

I started a job in a call centre. The very first day that I worked there, in fact within the first hour, a call came through from someone who lived in the town where my Granfather lives and where I had my Christening...I mentioned in passing that my Grandfather lived near him and he asked who my Grandfather was Low and behold he had been a friend and colleague of my Grandad & he had been at my Christening - 25 years previously

meeting neighbour

This happened three years ago. (sorry I can not be more specific with dates) I was visiting the Treck Cliff Cavern, Blue Jon mine in Hope Valley, Derbyshire on business. After the business was concluded I was taken down the mine and cavern by one of the guids. We (the guide and I) were in a bit of the mine not normally open to the public when a party of tourists passed on its way out from the cavern. In that party were a neighbour and his wife. I was so surprised I could not even speak and they passed by oblivious to my presence. To put this in context.

Chance meetings

I live in Durham, was staying in Edinburgh with wife, crowded restaraunt, asked to share table with two women - mother and daughter from NW Scotland mother was cousin of my ex's wife, daughter went to school with ex's children. On another occasion I parked my bike in an office doorway in Kinlochbervie to shelter from rain and sort out a problem withbike, it was a Sunday so didn't think it was a problem, it turned out to office of same ex-girlfriend's husband. Ended up having dinner at their house.

Encounter with a star

Visited the National Portrait Gallery and there was an exhibition of photos of English actors and actresses from the 1950s and 1960s. My wife and I for some reason stopped at the picture of Rita Tushingham and both reflected that we never seem to hear of her these days or see her. Next day we went to Euston Station and, having treated ourselves to first class tickets, were waiting in the first class lounge. Standing in a corner and talking on her mobile phone was . . . Rita Tushingham.

Second cousin dates

I have found a long lost second cousin through family tree searches, our grandmothers were sisters. His and my father had the same Birthday date, 4 July but not the same year. He is 30 years older than his father, I am 30 years older than my father, he and I are 30 years separate in age! His birthday is 21 Mar and mine 23 March.

Chance Meeting

Hi, My Name is Mark Smyth. On 5th July 2008 I was at Twickenham for the Iron Maiden Somewhere Back In Time Tour (According to wikipedia 44,672 tickets were sold). The 4 of us attending (Myself, my mate Kevin and 2 guys we'd met at our digs) were standing and decided to pick a spot the the left of the sound stage in the centre of the pitch as this gave us an excellent view on the stage. About halfway through the gig I spotted a familiar face walking towards me through the crowd from the stage.

Interrailing

When 18 and inter-railing around Europe we arrived at our first camp site in Avignon to find that we has no tent pegs.... On leaving the campsite to try and find a shop to buy some we walked into some friends who had left school the previous year who had a spare set of tent pegs!!!

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