Improbable Doesn’t Mean Impossible: 30 Unlikely Events People Experienced Firsthand

The internet user’s r/AskReddit thread was extremely popular with the Reddit crowd. At the time of writing, the thread had over 21.6k upvotes. The success of the question came down to its relatability, as well as how much it resonated with people’s curiosity.

After all, most of us are intrigued by mysterious and bizarre events. Not only that, the odds are that we have similar stories of our own to share.

The fact of the matter is that the rareness of an event is always calculated in relation to something else. Just because something happens less frequently doesn’t necessarily reduce the impact of the event itself. So, for instance, the chances of lightning striking you are roughly 1 in 15,300, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Though these odds are incredibly low, you’d probably agree that it’s a life-changing event for anyone who gets struck. Given the intrigue of the event and the number of people on Planet Earth, you’re likely to hear about statistical outliers often, even if they’re very rare in reality. That’s why you mostly hear news stories about dramatic (and often negative) events, not mundanity.

People tend to ignore things that don’t confirm their beliefs or expectations. And the same could be said for perceiving statistical anomalies, too.

“Think of things like, 'Yesterday I ate one egg for breakfast, found two pennies on the floor, passed three ambulances on my way to work, got four phone calls before lunch, and got five texts during lunch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!' It sounds like numerology magic but really that person just ignored the nine socks in their drawer and the eleven emails they got in the afternoon because those didn't contribute to the 'miracle,'” one of the moderators running r/nevertellmetheodds explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview. According to them, genuinely interesting, wild coincidences are quite rare.

Which of these stories captivated your attention the most? What are the most improbable situations that you've ever been in, Pandas? What's your go-to advice for dealing with very unlikely setbacks? We'd love to hear your thoughts and learn more about what you've faced in life, so feel free to swing by the comment section.