Friday, August 20, 2004

What Are The Odds Of ...

1. "Woman gets hit with a foul ball at Cardinals game -- twice"
   <http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2007991>
"Early in the game, a foul ball struck Denoyer in the neck. Then in the ninth
 inning, Seattle's Scott Spiezio hit a foul that also struck Denoyer --
 this time in the head"

2. "Firefighter administers aid to woman he helped deliver"
   <http://www.nbc4.tv/news/3499960/detail.html>
20 years ago, fireman helps deliver a baby girl.  Fast forward: treats her for
smoke inhalation after a fire.

3. "Rather a chance encounter for TV news anchor"
   <http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20030221125903803C709697>
"What are the odds of running into the man who tried to steal your car 12 years
 ago, halfway around the world from the scene of the crime?"

4. "Identical twins break same arm on same day"
   <http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_992426.html>
"Identical twins from Manchester broke their left arm in the same place on the
 same child's slide on the same day"

5. "Birthday trio beat the odds" [archived]
   <http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8277230%255E13762,00.html>
"A Victorian family is one in 48 million after baby Matilda was born on
 Christmas Day - the same day as her mother Angela Close and grandmother
 Jean Carr"

6. "What are the chances of that?"
   <http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=436559>
"A whale jumping out of the water and on to your yacht seems like a billion-to
 -one shot, but it happened last week. And, as David Randall reveals, those
 who investigate unbelievable events know that the extraordinary happens
 every day"

7. "Chances aren't: other very very unlikely events"
   <http://www.guardian.co.uk/spacedocumentary/story/0,2763,1034209,00.html>
"Scientists announced today that there is a 909,000/1 chance of an asteroid
 destroying life on Earth on March 21 2014. Here we list other possibilities
 given the same odds by bookmaker William Hill"