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Improbable Doesn’t Mean Impossible: 13 Unlikely Events People Experienced Firsthand
Article created by: Mantas Kačerauskas
There is a vast ocean of difference between ‘impossible’ and merely ‘improbable.’ In the former case, there’s exactly a zero percent probability that something will happen. In the latter case, no matter how small the chances are, eventually, the event will occur. Given enough time, you might experience plenty of improbable experiences yourself.
Redditor u/yankeevandal sparked an interesting online discussion after asking folks to share the most “statistically improbable” things that ever happened to them. We’ve collected their most fascinating tales to share with you, Pandas. Check out the best ones below, and upvote your faves as you scroll down.
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#1
i have been hit in the head by live squirrels three times in my life each on separate occasions.
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#2
Lost my house in civil court. Represented myself and won in appeals court twice. Since my case was unique in this state, my cases were published both times. Moving back into my old house soon.
#3
Husband and I visited our old hometown and went to a used book store we used to frequent.
I picked up a familiar title in nostalgia and flipped it open to find a school student’s ID card.
The name and photo on the ID?
My husband.
Turns out his mom had donated books to that store many years before we all moved away from that area. He must have been using it as a bookmark and forgotten.
It’s not so surprising considering we used to live in that area, but the ID was nearly 10 years old by the time we found it.
That book was sitting on the shelf for nearly a *decade* untouched, waiting for me to come along and pick it up. Bizarre.
#5
I was on a road trip with my cousins in the 80s. One of them kept playing the same song over and over by rewinding the tape and playing it again. The song was “another one bites the dust”. After three plays in a row the driver pulls out the tape, says enough! And turned on the radio… Sure enough that song was playing on the radio right then.
#6
Got left a written message to call a girl, mistakenly called another girl instead with the same name....we've been married for 14 years.
#8
Riding my bicycle on a commercial fishing pier as a kid I lost control and rode off the edge with a 20' drop to exposed rocks at low tide.
I tried to stop myself going over by planting my feet on the edge of the pier, but I knew my bike was too heavy.
Somehow the bike stopped, halfway over at a 45 degree angle. However now the seat was in the small of my back preventing me from getting off, and I couldn't budge it at all to get the bike back up.
A fisherman finally ran over to help me and we decided he would pull me as hard as he could and I'd let the bike fall.
I jumped to the side as he pulled me back to the pier, and it worked.
However.
My bike was still there, not moving at all.
When I examined what had happened, there was a piece of rebar sticking out from the edge of the pier bent upwards in an L shape, and it passed diagonally through the spokes of my front tire and completely wedged my bike in place.
It was the ONLY spot on the 300' long pier with ANYTHING sticking out.
I most certainly *did not* stop myself and my bike from going over.
#9
My wife and I (both right handed) had two left handed kids. Which has around a 1% chance of happening twice.
#11
My mom gave birth to me after sudden onset of labor at 37weeks and 6 days gestation, had a c-section because I was breech, born at 9:48 AM.
I gave birth to my child after sudden onset of labor at 37weeks and 6 days gestation, had a c-section because my daughter was breech, born at 9:48 AM.
Seems statistically improbable to me but maybe not super odd.
#13
I underwent a surgical procedure called a stapectomy to improve the significant hearing loss in my GOOD ear. Instead, I ended up completely deaf. My surgical ENT said this has only happened to 5 patients IN THE US. (He was doing research to try to help me afterwards.) I don't know how true it is, but hey, lucky me.
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