Statistics in a Modern World 800
Coincidence Stories

A coincidence is a surprising concurrence of events, perceived as meaningfully related, but with no apparent causal connection. Should we really be surprised by these coincidences? Remember that when so many "unlikely" events are possible, according to the laws of probability, some of them are bound to happen. Like these...

(A.Y.) Around 10 years ago, my parents were getting me to CVS and was about to get me a pokemon game. Back then there were two versions on sale: ruby and sapphire. There was only one more copy of sapphire left, but unfortunately there was another kid that came with the same objective. We contested for the last copy of sapphire with rock-paper-scissors, and the other kid won. Turns out it was the other kid's birthday.

(X.X.) One particular moment of "coincidence" comes to mind. When I was in 4th grade, my family took a trip from our home state of New York to Washington D.C. to visit the Capital and the White House. When we got inside the White House, we were divided into groups for a tour of the building-two families per group. My family just so happened to be put in the exact same tour group with my 4th grade teacher. Imagine my surprise. She and her family also made the trip from NY to Washington, planned to visit the White House, and scheduled a tour for the exact same day AND time that my family did. It felt a bit like history class. Fortunately, she didn't quiz me on anything we saw.

(J.P.) On one of the family reunion's my mom's side of the family gets together, my immediate family decided to go fishing and we brought along two of my cousins. In the middle of this fishing trip, one of my cousins hooked a fish, and eventually the rod off to my dad because it was so hard to reel in. It took a great deal of effort for my dad to try and reel it in, so much so that we thought it was a gigantic fish. Then a seal's head popped up- the fish that my cousin had hooked had been claimed by said seal. A moment later, our guide yelled "Duck!" and everyone ducked except my dad as the line snapped and the counter weight flew back at the boat, unfortunately hitting my dad and leaving him with a nice bruiser- and a nice story, to tell. On another of the family reunions, we were playing Texas holdem Poker with one of my older cousins and I as the only two people still in for the round. I don't remember exactly what cards were on the table, but the three important ones were two queens and a king. My cousin had pocket kings, I had pocket queens. We started a bidding war against each other because he figured he had a full house, and the odds of me having something that could beat a full house was very small. Lo and behold, when we had to reveal, I revealed by 4 of a kind queen's to his Full house King's over queens. Was quite a memorable game.

(J.A.B.) I spent my high school years in Monterrey, Mexico; and when I was going to high school back there, one of my best friends was a guy called Fernando. Fernando's older brother is approx. two years older than us, and I had heard that after graduating from a Mexican university with a B.S. in Computer Science, he wanted to work for a couple of years to get some experience, and eventually come to the US to get a master's degree in a technology-related field. He was considering applying to several schools in the US, most of them close to Mexico (in places like Texas and California), so he would be able to travel constantly to visit his family in northern Mexico. However, I recently learned that he has made his mind to apply to Carnegie Mellon Univ.; where he plans to start working towards his master next year (he already spent some time studying at CMU as an undergrad when he went to study to Osaka, Japan, where CMU has a branch campus that offers some grad-level courses). I believe it is a big coincidence that the older brother of my best high school friend will most likely move to get his master to the US at the same time I will be working towards my master (I am in my senior year, so next year I will start grad school, most likely at Pitt), and that both will be in the same city, and attending universities that are located next to each other. However, I also believe that the fact that he -coming from an upper-middle class Mexican family- decided to move the US to get his grad education isn't a random event; after all, US universities are the very prestigious around the globe, and a lot of wealthy foreigners come to study here every year. Also, the fact that he decided to come to CMU is a logical decision taking into account that CMU has a reputation for its strong engineering, science, and technology programs; and that it's a university he has some previous experience with.

(M.B.) In the spring of my senior year of high school, I visited several universities that I had been accepted to. When I visited Case Western Reserve University, I attended a study abroad panel led by students. Later on that summer, I traveled to Costa Rica with my family. We went to eat at a restaurant in the capital one night and I thought I recognized one of the students that had been a panelist at Case Western. I went up to the student and asked if he attended Case Western. He told me that he did and I told him that I remembered him from when I had visited the school several months ago. He was shocked that I remembered him and I was shocked at the chances that we were both in the same restaurant in Costa Rica, thousands of miles from home.

(R.K.) When I was a freshman in high school, I played my first ever high school soccer game at Chartiers Valley. (I did not go to Chartiers Valley, it was an away game there.) My final game of senior year when my team lost in the WPIAL was played at Chartiers Valley (neutral field). It is just a coincidence that my first and last high school soccer games were played at the same place.

(E.G.) My best friend, when I was younger, came to Pitt as well. Before college, I haven't talked to her in about five years, and we both ended up joining the same sorority and are now roommates. Nothing was planned or expected and it just ended up happening by chance.

(G.P.) I was telling a story about an old friend from elementary school and then later that day I had a text message from them saying they wanted to catch up and had been thinking about me.

(X.H.) This summer when I flew from China to the U.S., I met a guy at Chicago airport. We had a communication about some normal stuff and then when I started asking him about his hometown, his answer made me surprised. We were in the same high school in 2006-2008, but we didn't know each other before. I think it is a coincident story.

(A.H.) My brother's roommate's name from college is Scott. His father's name is Kevin Scott so he got his father's middle name as his first name. My brother's name is Kevin because my father's name is Scott Kevin. It is a coincidence that they both got their father's middle names as their first names and the names are just simply flip flopped.

(A.M.) A coincidence that I have experienced is that with my fraternity of 110 brothers, there is 1 person who shares a birthday with me.

(J.F.) Of course its about baseball. It was back in high school, the night before one of our biggest games of the year I had a dream we were going to win on a walk off base hit to advance into the semifinal round of the playoffs. Sure enough the last inning rolled around and we had a runner on second and the score was tied. One of my teammates lined a base hit to right field winning the game in walk off fashion just like I was dreaming the night before. It was one of those Deja Vu type moments. It was a coincidence that almost the same thing I dreamt played out in real life the next day.

(C.M.) In the spring semester last year, I had decided to take my first dance class, Jazz I, since I graduated from my dance studio in June 2013. In the first class, I sat next to a girl and we introduced ourselves. We talked about how we had both started dancing in 3rd grade, and this was the first dance class we were taking since high school. She was a year ahead of me. Throughout the semester we remained friends and realized more things that we had in common. At that time, I was living on floor 3 North in Holland Hall, she lived on that exact floor as a freshman. She told me that she now had an apartment on N Craig St. When she told me that, I had just recently, within the past month, gotten an apartment on N. Craig St. for my sophomore year. The day I moved into my apartment this year, I pulled into the parking lot and ran into her! She lives directly across the street from me, and her two brothers live in my apartment building on the same floor. I run into her all the time and we've remained very good friends. I found our whole friendship to be pretty coincidental!

(I.P.) All three of my ex girlfriends went on to date men whose names began with the letter 'J.' My name begins with the letter 'I,' which, as you know, comes just before 'J' in the alphabet.

(E.W.) Hello this is Emily Williams from your Stats 800 lecture. A funny coincidence of mine is that my now college sophomore year roommate and I met when we were preschooler's at my godmother's annual Easter egg hunt. My Aunt Leah Ann holds an annual Easter egg hunt and invites her whole neighborhood. My roommate lives in my Aunt's neighborhood and would go to the Easter egg hunts. My roommate Rachael probably interacted with me as a child and now we are best friends that live together. We never interacted since those Easter egg hunts until we met at a Christian organization on campus and exchanged stories. It's truly a small world!

(R.M.) From January until August of this year, I lived in Tirana, Albania, volunteering at an non-governmental organization that works with street kids and disadvantaged families. I loved Tirana and when it came time for me to leave Albania and resume my studies at Pitt, it was hard to say goodbye. Pretty shortly after arriving back in Pittsburgh, I began asking around to find out if there are any Albanian immigrant enclaves here. About a week ago, I finally got connected through a professor with an Albanian couple here in Pittsburgh. When we met up to meet each other a few days ago, I learned that we had arrived in Pittsburgh from Tirana within just a few days of each other. Even more surprising is that Artan, the husband, is getting his PhD in History from Pitt, where I also study history. What a coincidence! Although there's not necessarily any significance to the fact that this couple and I came from Albania to Pitt at the same time, I like to think that it's a sign that we're meant to build a relationship. Anyway, it is convenient for us to have people to speak Albanian with, and who miss Albania and understand what it's like to live there

(X.I was dating this boy for some time. He now goes to school in the south and I stayed in PA. A while after we had broken up, probably about a year later, I met a boy at school and we were not from the same hometown. We didn't talk very long, but once we stopped, I found out he was dating this girl who once dated my ex! Out of the four of us, no one really knew each other but we were all connected in a very weird love triangle - or square I guess. .)

(S.L.) When I was six I attended Sunday school with all white children. Around the age of seven, I moved away & did not keep in contact with any of my classmates. Twelve years later, this past summer, I went to Korea to study at Yonsei University. I was sitting in my Developmental Psychology class when I noticed a girl staring at me. She flagged me down after class & asked if my name was Sarah. This girl ended up being one of the girls from my Sunday school in Buffalo, NY who for whatever reason ended up in South Korea at the same university, doing the same summer program, studying the same subject at the same time as me.

(X.X.) When I was growing up I became best friends with a kid who lived down my street. When I was 8 my parents split up and I moved into a new neighborhood on the other side of town. Soon after, the house next to me went up for sale, and my best friend's family moved in. I was excited because I thought I would never see him again. Several years later I moved again. You would never believe it but his family ended up having to move. They moved right across the street to my new home. What a coincidence! Now we live right across the street and are still best friends even after moving not once, but twice.

(K.R.) I was having a very bad day one day. It started out by waking up late for class. I was then on my way to class and it started raining and I didnt have an umbrella. I had five classes that day almost all in a row without a break. I then had practice (which was supposed to be two hours max) after all my classes and realized I forgot to bring a snack. But I thought to myself, this practice will only be two hours so I should be okay. Well the practice ended up being six hours long and I was starving and in a very very bad mood from the whole day and now because of this practice. All i kept thinking about the whole time was how a chocolate peanut butter milkshake would be the only thing to make this day better because one I was starving and two ice cream, chocolate, and peanut butter are like my favorite things and instantly make me happy. Well it just so happens that when I got home from practice (ready to cry) my roommate, who works at Dave and Andy's had brought me home a chocolate peanut butter milkshake to surprise me! I literally thought it was the best day in the world and was very thankful for my roommate and that delicious chocolate peanut butter milkshake that night.

(C.R.) One coincidence I personally had in my life was when I went to Toronto for a conference and the waitress we had for dinners name was also Courtney, spelled the same way.

(B.S.) he only coincidence I can think of is of my brother and father sharing a birthday. It is strange because my brother is not biologically connected with my father. He is my mother's child from a previous relationship. I believe they were also born in the same hour just 20 years apart.

(M.M.) I ran cross country all four years of highschool. In my freshmen year in the last race of the year at districts I found out there was another Molloy in my district because we both got called out during the freshmen awards. This would continue each league race and district race at the end of each of the four years with one Molloy being called out then maybe 2 more names then the other Molloy. In my junior year it would turn out that there was another Molloy in the same district but this time from the women's league with her name also getting called out at awards for the next two years. So for junior and senior year there were 3 Molloy's who all ran well enough to get called out at awards each time enough for us to notice each other.

(L.S.)A coincidence that I came up with, that just happened recently to me is one that has to do with my family. This December, I am going to Australia and I knew that I had family that lived in Australia, but it was a coincidence that the same state that I will be living in is the same state that my aunt lives in currently. I didn't know this until I talked to my dad and he said that my aunt lives in Sydney.

(M.B.) I'm from North Carolina, and I went on a beach trip with one of my friends our sophomore year of high school. While walking on the beach, we met two guys that were also our age and because my family is from the Pittsburgh area, I'm familiar with the peculiar accent that Pittsburghers tend to have. The boys were actually from a town North of Pittsburgh and we talked about Pitt, Kennywood, Sarris Candies, etc. and then carried on with our own individual vacations, never thinking that we would meet again. Two years later, I arrive on Pitt's campus as a freshman and I actually ran into one of the boys through mutual friends.

(L.P.) During my tenth grade summer my family won a trip to Florida. While we were there, we decided to spend a day at Universal Studios. When we were wandering around, I saw someone that looked a little too familiar. (Keep in mind that I am from Pennsylvania.) I did a double take and as soon as I realized who it was, I hurried away to avoid awkward contact. His name was Nic. We went to elementary school together. Although we used to be good friends, after graduating elementary school we never talked again.

(S.S.) So I am in an organization where we have to fundraise for our philanthropy, which is Children's Miracle Network of Pittsburgh. To fundraise sometimes a group of maybe two or three of us go to a pittsburgh sports game such as a Penguins game or Steelers game and ask people to donate to us by putting money into a jar that we have all decorated on our own. My best friend is also in this organization so she had to make a jar too, note that we both made our jars completely separate from each other not knowing what each other was going to put on it. One day we both decided to go fundraising together and we walked out of our rooms at home and both had the exact same jar design, yellow construction paper with Children's in black Miracle in blue and Network in black as well with a little blue heart right in the exact same spot!! What a coincidence right? I guess we really are best friends after all:).

(L.H.) My coincidence story occurred 6 years ago. My cousin had an upcoming birthday and as a gift I purchased him a pair of shoes. I called his mother to confirm his shoe size to make sure it was the right size. I wanted it to be a surprise so when his mother asked repeatedly I avoided the question, not realizing why she was asking. On the day of his birthday he opened his present from me and the shoes I got him were the exact same shoes his mother had purchased..)

(M.B.) My coincidence actually happened at Pitt. I was recruited to play baseball at Pitt and I did not know anybody. I started talking to a guy from Texas because I played in the midwest(oklahoma) for the past two years. As we talked about our junior college, i mentioned the name of one of the good friends i had over there who was from Texas. My new teammate stopped me and repeated the name, saying that it was his good buddy from high school. That was quite surprising.

(V.M.)My mom and dad met each other way back when and started dating. My mom told her closest sister, Robin, all about my dad and how excited she was about meeting him, and my dad told his closest brother, Greg, all about my mom and how excited he was. Robin and Greg also shared their dating situation with my mom and dad. It turned out that my mom and dad were dating, and Robin and Greg were dating. None of them had introduced each other to one another and they met in complete different places. Both couples ended up getting married, so the sisters married the brothers!

(A.V.) A quick coincidence I can think of was when I was traveling through France last summer. I'm originally from Chile, and being that Chile is a more or less unknown country, it is extremely difficult to find Chilean restaurants abroad. Given the difficulty, finding one in France turned out to be a very cool coincidence. In my travels through France I went to the city of Nimes in the south of France. Nimes is a less known city with a population of about 170,000 people. One day I decided to go exploring without a goal in mind besides that of exploration for the sake of exploration. After an hour or two of getting lost in the tiny streets of Nimes I turned into a dark little alley, went around a corner, and right there tucked into the end of the alley found a Chilean restaurant called "El Rinconcito" (The Little Corner). Inside I found a Chilean chef who had escaped from Chile after the military coup in the 70's. After arriving in France he decided to start his own little restaurant. I'm not sure what the exact odds of a Chilean unexpectedly finding a Chilean restaurant in a tiny French city are, but I sure as hell was surprised and found it to be a cool little

(C.A.) The only coincidence that's ever really happend to me was when I was in elementary school which at the time I lived in Maryland. My family takes a trip to Rehobeth Beach every July 4th weekend, and we stay for about a week. Well, one summer when I was in 3rd grade I was on the beach with my family; tossing a football around with my brother. My brother through the football a little far so I ran to get it and I ran right into my busdriver's son! He was in my grade, just in a different class. We rode the same bus, and his mom was good friends with my mom and step-dad. It was just really strange that we were both in Delaware at the same time, at the same beach, and in the same area of the same beach. It was also strange that we didn't know that we weren't going to meet up there because we were good friends, it just slipped our minds.

(E.R.) While not a personal coincidence story, my 86 year old Grandmother, who has moved around her entire life (from PA to California to Texas, etc) was grocery shopping in Cleveland, Ohio recently and ran into a woman she went to summer camp with in Pennsylvania when she was 14.

(N.W.) An example of coincidence which occurred in my life happened the other night. My girlfriend and I were talking about a TV show and as soon as I turned on the TV the show just happened to be on. I remember last class you mentioning that you needed to collect examples of coincidences for class. Hope that example works!

(J.G.) My example of a coincidence in my life is when I enrolled in a Public Speaking class and when I attended the first class I saw that my friend was also in the class. It was a coincidence that of all the classes, sections and professors that we could have taken we chose to enroll in the same one.

(C.D.) Last year, I was eating frozen yogurt when someone informed me that it was National Frozen Yogurt day. This was a coincidence because I didn't know that was the case, and it was statistically very unlikely because I only ate frozen yogurt less than 5 times last year. It is a coincidence because they seem related, and it seems surprising that this happened. But in the long run, I shouldn't be surprised because there are many "surprising" events that can happen, and this is one of them that did indeed take place.

(A.N.)A coincidence that I've experienced, though it is not a very extraordinary example, is: One of my best friends lives in London, England. We went to High school together but she returned to England to attend the University of Greenwich. One day I was thinking about how it had been a long time since we've spoken to each other and it just to happened that she called me that very day, just as I was about to click her name in my contacts to call her long distance. I think what made this experience a coincidence was the fact that she called me the very second I was about to call her and we had not spoken for a couple weeks, so there was to indication that I was going to call her that day. Great minds think alike I guess.

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