Coincidental meetings
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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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A work colleague and I were on a study trip to Japan and Australia. We had spent 10 days in Japan then flew, via Hong Kong, to Sydney. Having retrieved our baggage, we were waiting in the taxirank queue when someone said, "I thought I recognised the voices". Immediately behind us was a member of my companion's staff, who had flown into Sydney, for a holiday, coming from London by a completely different route.
We were flying from Gatwick, to Turkey, for a holiday on a Turkish gulet. Standing in the check-in queue, my wife fell into conversation with a woman standing next to us. It turned out that she and her husband lived in Marlow, where my wife had lived for 30 years, until our marriage 2 years before. As the queue advanced, we arrived at the same check-in desk as the other couple, with the two women still chatting and getting on well. They were booked on the same flight as us, a general charter, being used by a number of holiday tour companies. Arriving at Dalaman, we were directed by our gulet cruise rep. to a very small bus, which would take us to the boat, at Marmaris. Shortly after, the same couple boarded the bus, being the only other people on the flight to be holidaying on the boat. Following the coincidences of the Marlow connection and the same holiday destination, we formed a good friendship, which lasts to this day, 14 years on.
Date submitted:Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:18:49 +0000Coincidence ID:3810
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Anonymous (not verified)
Sat, 14/01/2012 - 10:26am
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Birthday coincidence
Anonymous (not verified)
Sat, 14/01/2012 - 10:38am
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Powerful emotional coincidence