Chances are many of us here did not know that yesterday was Huntrodd’s Day, a celebration of chance and coincidence every Sept. 19. I too was one of the uninformed. But thanks to Professor David Spiegelhalter, creator of the day, now I know. (I actually learned about it from Phil Blackwell at Online Bingo mentioned in the post yesterday.)
David’s title is Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge University. He’s a statistics guy, more into randomness than meaningfulness, and he has amassed an impressive collection of more than 4,000 coincidences as part of the Cambridge Coincidences Project. Good going!
He’s said to be one of the UK’s most respected statisticians and has appeared as an expert on multiple television shows and in 2012 hosted BBC Four documentary, Tails You Win: The Science of Chance. He also has been elected President of the Royal Statistical Society, a position he assumes in January.
Curiously, David says that coincidences “don’t happen to me, as a I am spectacularly unobservant and unfriendly.” Well, he is a statistics guy, after all. Here’s a brief interview I swiped from the OB site.
OB: You describe Huntrodds’ Day as a celebration of chance and coincidence. Why do you think people find coincidences so fascinating?
DS: I think we all find it very difficult to accept things happen for no reason: so when we see a surprising concatenation of events, it provokes an urge to understand ‘why’?
OB: What are your top three tips for people looking to experience more coincidences in their lives?
DS: Be observant and mindful. Talk to strangers. Be curious.
+++
Unfortunately, OB did not ask David about the origin of the name for the day. So I had to look it up elsewhere. I found the answer appropriately at huntrodds.com.
Francis Huntrodds and his wife Mary, buried together in Whitby, died within five hours of one another on their 80th birthday – their joint 80th birthday. They were both born on September 19th 1600, and both died on September 19th 1680. And, for completeness, got married on September 19th too.
Question though is how come he picked the 19th of a month,,,,, Random??
Not random. Click the website, there’s the story.
Wow, amazing coincidences. I sometimes think another necessity for experiencing synchronicity is a good sense of humor. Because personally, I think the Universe has a great sense of humor.
It’s the Equinox, Blessings on this Day of Balance!
I never heard of Huntrodd’s Day before. What a great synchro that couple had! 🙂
The Huntrodd’s story is quite a statistic. Someone on Google+ told me that September 19th is also Talk Like A Pirate Day! No connection, of course.
That’s funny because the Bingo guy, Phil Blackwell, yesterday told Trish that Huntrodd’s Day is not so well known because it conflicts with Talk Like a Pirate Day! So, Mike, there is a connection…in a weird sort of way.
OMG! WOW! That statistic seems impossible, doesn’t it? Like they must have planned this in some unimaginable way.
An aside – it is also my sister’s birthday.