The odds that you’ll be struck by lightning are about one in 1.2 million. The chances that you’ll be bitten by a shark are about one in 3.75 million. And the odds that you’ll win the lottery are approximately one in 300 million. But that just means that none of these outcomes are impossible.
If you want proof that sometimes people manage to capture extremely unlikely situations on camera, you’ve come to the right place, pandas. We took a trip to the Never Tell Me the Odds subreddit and compiled a list of their most surprising posts below. All of these occurrences may sound impossible, but despite all odds, they managed to happen. Enjoy scrolling through this list that might inspire you to finally buy that lottery ticket, and be sure to upvote the pics that you find almost unbelievable!
#1 Order 666 Followed By Order 667 At Two Different McDonald’s 4 1/2 Hours And 86.5 Miles Apart
Image source: [deleted]
#2 That Glare Hitting Like That
Image source: robustmiracle405
#3 Off-Street Parking Available
Image source: RPA031
Just because something is improbable doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. We’ve seen people defy the odds countless times, whether it’s winning as an underdog or making a discovery that no one thought was possible. In fact, you’ve probably experienced some improbable things yourself. According to David J. Hall, author of The Improbability Principle, unlikely things occur every single day.
Hall even makes the claim that “extremely improbable events are commonplace.” He also points out that most people’s “intuitive grasp of probability isn’t very good.” So most of us tend to be shocked and impressed by coincidences or unlikely occurrences that actually shouldn’t surprise us at all.
#4 My Dad And I Both Fell On The Same Day. Same Injuries, Same Number Of Stitches. 8 Hours Between
Image source: [deleted]
#5 Had An Electrical Fire Last Night. A Conveniently Placed Water Line Burst From The Heat And Put It Out
Image source: wcollins260
#6 Excuse Me, Could We Talk For A Moment?
Image source: EndersGame_Reviewer
Do you believe in coincidences? People love to debate whether they exist or not, but Paul Brooks at The Guardian says that we often use this label to explain things that we can’t otherwise account for. He provides the example of a dream he had where his mother’s best friend (Rose) appeared to inform him that she had suffered a stroke and passed away.
Then, two weeks later, he found a letter from Rose’s daughter addressed to his mother informing them that Rose had actually passed away. One explanation for his dream is that the spirit of Rose came to him supernaturally and shared this information with him. The other, simpler explanation, is that it was all just a coincidence.
#7 Meteor Crashed Through This Woman’s Roof And Landed Right Next To Her While Sleeping
Image source: Met76
#8 Oh No
Image source: Haploid-life
#9 Short Track Skaters Finish So Closely Together That It’s Impossible To Pick A Winner. They End Up Sharing The Gold
Image source: __Joevahkiin__
We often love experiencing what we believe are coincidences because they just feel so unlikely. What are the chances that you met a waiter from your hometown while eating dinner at a restaurant on a random island 6,000 miles away? And what are the chances that your absolute favorite song came on the radio only minutes after you were telling your date how special it is to you? Deciding that an improbable encounter is a coincidence is much easier than trying to get to the bottom of a phenomenon.
#10 In The Netherlands, Two Trucks Got Stuck On Opposite Sides Of The Same Bridge At The Same Time
Image source: DareYouGo
#11 I Got My Bikes Registered Years Apart And These Are The 2 Auto Generated Plates I Got
Image source: snorkiebarbados
#12 Mr. And Mrs. Emory Harrison Of Jonesboro, Tenn., Had 13 Children, All Boys, Making The Largest All-Male American Family In 1955
Image source: rainbowarriorhere
The fact that improbable things happen every single day can either motivate you or terrify you. On one hand, you might feel more excited about the idea of competing on a game show or buying a lottery ticket, because you know that someone has to win. On the other hand, knowing that statistically some people will get into a car accident today or be diagnosed with a terminal illness tomorrow can leave you catatonic. We have to be able to accept that random occurrences are happening constantly. Sometimes we’ll be lucky, and other times we won’t.
#13 You Can’t Park There
Image source: adrianmatecito
#14 Knocked Off A Hanging Remote In The Dark. Landed On A Scorpion
Image source: MrP1anet
#15 My Son Gets His License In Two Weeks. I Asked Him To Repark The Cars In The Yard So I Could Clean The Driveway. He Called Me In Tears Because He “Crashed.” Tire On Tire. No Damage. Lucky Sob
Image source: Sunstoned1
Now, we can’t always improve our luck. Some days are just doomed from the moment you wake up in the morning. But if you want to improve your chances of being successful when buying scratch-off tickets, Statistics How To has some tips. First, they note that it’s not all about random luck. In fact, statistician Joan Ginther has won multi-million dollar payouts four times from scratch-offs. So some strategies can definitely help you out.
#16 Trees Can Be Very Polite
Image source: EndersGame_Reviewer
#17 So Long And Thanks For All The Fish!
Image source: EndersGame_Reviewer
#18 Leaping Lizards!
Image source: EndersGame_Reviewer
One of the biggest tips Statistics How To provides is buying your lottery tickets in bulk. Obviously, this is going to force you to spend more up front. But when printing cards, the company is required to make a certain percentage of them winners. For example, 250 out of every 1,000 printed might have a cash prize. So if you buy 10 of the same type of card, you’ll increase your odds of at least one of them being a winner.
#19 I Heard A Noise One Morning And Walked In To Find The Cat Had Knocked Over These Dvds
Image source: nialltaggartfineart
#20 2 Candidates With The Same Name Got Equal Amount Of Votes In The Finnish Parliament Election
Image source: spacePARTICLE
#21 Montreal Ice Storm 2023
Image source: alliiebaba
Apparently, more expensive scratch-offs are also more likely to be winners. This doesn’t mean that you’ll win $500,000 at once. But bigger risks bring bigger rewards. If you can shell out $50 for one ticket, you might even have a one in three chance of winning that money back. But, of course, playing the lottery is always going to be a gamble. So if you want to guarantee that your money will come back to you, it might be smarter to simply invest it.
#22 A Hummingbird Built Its Nest On My Hanging Hummingbird Figurine
Image source: lovemymaltese
#23 Last Year I Found A Vintage Bowling Bag Next To A Dumpster; Last Night I Found A Ball At An Alley’s Rental Stack (In A Different City) That Has Matching Name, Brand, And Weight. The Name Engraved Is Even An Old Name (Matching The Time Of The Bag)
Image source: Bliss266
#24 None Of Their Feet Are Touching The Floor
Image source: Nnseedall
Are you enjoying this list of improbable yet not impossible occurrences, pandas? Keep upvoting the photos that you find most surprising, and let us know in the comments below what the best coincidence you’ve ever experienced was. Then, if you’d like to check out another article from Bored Panda featuring photos that defy all odds, we’ve got the perfect article to read right here!
#25 An Accidental Reunion
Image source: Artviewer12345
#26 I Have Never Seen This Occurring Naturally Before In My Life. Is This More Common Than I Think It Is?
Image source: SensuallPineapple
#27 Low Lake Levels Reveal All Three Blades Of A Boat Propeller Getting Imbedded Into A Tree Stump
Image source: Joe_Hovah
#28 Tree Limb Penetrated Neighbors Roof And Landed Between Legs While Sleeping
Image source: Low-Algae-2928
#29 The Setup Code On My Watch Right After Unboxing It
Image source: Ok_Economist_4070
#30 Odd-Shaped Clearing
Image source: WonkaTXRanger
#31 Football Player Antoine Griezmann’s Three Children Were All Born On 8 April : In 2016, 2019, 2021
Image source: ___BERLIN_
#32 This Tiny Bubble Landed On A Cactus And Didn’t Pop
Image source: thespineman
#33 A Stray Bullet On New Year’s Eve Lands In A Guy’s Phone In Beirut Airport
Image source: JoeJml
#34 Two One Eyed Toads Showed Up At The Same Time
Image source: Lazy_James
#35 The First And Second Times There Was A Surviving Set Of Sextuplets (6 Babies), They Were Born On The Same Day 6 Years Apart
Image source: jellybloom17
#36 I Got 6 Peppers In 1
Image source: [deleted]
#37 Take Your Protein Pills And Put Your Helmet On
Image source: WolfsToothDogFood
#38 Arizona Fire Department Welcomed 19 Babies From 18 Firefighters In 2024
Image source: Concentric_Mid
#39 Oh, Oh God! It Actually Happened! Every Single Kernel Popped!
Image source: VT_Squire
#40 Got Out My Car At Work And Slammed The Door Shut, Came Back To This
Image source: CrofieId
#41 Nearly Blew Up My House
Came home from a 3 day trip to find the gas on. Clock had fallen off the wall, bounced off a glass pot and then hit the gas nob. Scary final destination stuff.
Image source: Hybbleton
#42 My Wife’s Car Is On The Left. We Saw The Car On The Right In A Parking Lot Tonight. She Thought Her Car Was Stolen
Image source: jb69029
#43 My Costco Run Today Totaled $420.69
Image source: -bassassin-
#44 Rainer Schimpf Almost Swallowed Alive By A 15 Ton Bryde’s Whale In South Africa. Survived Without A Single Injury
Image source: QuietWest3764
#45 My Camera Snapped A Picture Exactly When Another Camera’s Flash Was Going Off
Image source: sordidCob300
#46 Got A New Car Last Week. Neighbor Meant To Reverse But Was In The Wrong Gear. (3 Photos)
Image source: Bullruckle
#47 My Parking Shelter Collapsed Under The Weight Of Snow, But My Car Was Untouched
Image source: ScarilySmug
#48 Dealer Put A Royal Flush On The Board In No Limit Texas Holdem
Image source: Full_Fan_3774
#49 I Grabbed A Soda Out Of My Creeper Mini Fridge And It Blew Up Out Of Nowhere. Working As Intended I Guess?
Image source: maxime-le-mal
#50 These Two Men, Both Named William West, Looked Nearly Identical And Were Sent To The Same Prison-Without Ever Having Met. Their Mix-Up Is Why We Use Fingerprints To Identify People Today
Image source: Initial-Shine-5955
#51 Can Any Physicist Or Cat Expert Tell Me How This Is Possible?
Image source: suppordel
#52 I Caught A Fish Falling From The Sky In A Photo I Took Of A Helicopter
Image source: OdboqpodbO
Follow Us
