School friends sister

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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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I arranged a business meeting when I was working in Manchester with someone who had recently moved there from London. I had never seen this person before and only knew them by reputation. As I walked into the room with my PA I commented that a woman in the restaurant looked just like a school friends sister. This turned out to be the person I was meeting. When I mentioned this to her she relayed that a few years before she was approached by a fellow student at university because she looked like his sister and subsequently went on to have a relationship with him. This man turned out to be my school friend.
Total votes: 676
Date submitted:Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:45:15 +0000Coincidence ID:3529

Comments

I was walking around my home town shopping when, as I turned a corner I bumped into a young woman - I apologised and walked on. This bump happened 2 more times and we both smiled at the coincidence. The next day I drove to Manchester and parked in the street. As I opened the door a young woman tripped and fell against it. I helped her up and it was the same woman from the day before. She was clutching a piece of paper and asked for directions as she had an appointment. It turned out she was looking for my address and the appointment was with me

I posted on a fairly specialist forum based in America about an event I am holding and it's location - a quiet village in the Yorkshire dales. A member from Dubai said that he got married there in 1989. I married there in 1991- there have only been 6 weddings there in the last 30 years.

I traveled to Suffolk to meet some elderly customers about a project. Whilst talking he said he had received a photo from an old schoolfriend who had tracked him down, but unfortunately couldn't recognise anyone. I, however, could. One was my neighbour back in Yorkshire. As I left I asked directions to a nearby town where I had a further meeting. It turned out this person I was meeting used to work with him in London.