Understanding the Odds
Before we begin, we should elaborate on some of the statistics used in this article as they’ve been taken from a wide variety of sources. They’re a little more abstract to comprehend than say the odds offered by some of the top online gambling sites.
When calculating these odds, a range of factors need to be first taken into consideration when it comes to understanding the chances of them actually happening. For instance, the chances of dying in the bathtub (685,000 to 1) are going to be significantly lower for a person that’s never even owned a bathtub.
Likewise, if you don’t live anywhere near bears, it’s highly unlikely you’ll wind up as one’s dinner (2.1 million to 1). That being said, let’s explore some strange odds involving natural phenomena and what they mean to the average population.
Natural Phenomena
Ever since we evolved from single cells into clusters that formed all intelligent life as we know it, we’ve been at the mercy of Mother Nature. While the natural world contains within it unspeakably profound levels of beauty, it’s also been shown to provide us with many strange odds and wonders that have left us in awe.
Being Attacked by a Shark
Bizarrely when people think of dangerous predators in nature, sharks are never far from their thoughts. Perhaps partly due to media attention and movies such as Jaws, humans have seemingly feared shark attacks for decades. According to the International Shark Attack File, the chances of being attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 Million.
Water pollution and the subsequent habitat and ecosystem disruptions have led to sharks hanging out in certain areas where they’re more likely to come into contact with humans, and in particular, surfers seeking to catch a few waves. Even more bizarrely, you’re more likely to be attacked and fatally stung by insects such as bees, wasps, or hornets (1 in 54,093) than you are by sharks.
Being Struck by Lightning
We hope it comes as some relief to know that the chances of you being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 15,300 according to the US National Weather Service. However, if you are so unlucky, the chances of you surviving are ninety percent which should offer some reassurance. Although, we’re sure that you could do without the headache.
Finding a Double Yolk Egg
As it stands, the chances of you cracking open an egg to discover a double yolk are roughly around 1 in 1,000. This is a phenomenon that tends to come from the eggs of younger hens, and while rare, have been known to happen. To put this into perspective, if you cracked open an egg every day for three years, you’d likely only find a double yolk once.
Winning the lottery
On the topic of quirks of chance and circumstance, we’d like to briefly discuss your chances of winning the lottery. What are the chances of taking home a jackpot? Unfortunately, we don’t recommend holding your breath anytime soon, as the odds vary drastically depending on the game you’re playing and the total bets placed. Roughly, the odds of winning a jackpot are 1 in 292 Million. If you still want to take part and play the game, check out our favourite lotto sites.
No-one Gets out Alive Anyway
Before we send you home whistling at the end of the article, we’d like to briefly put on our morose-tinted spectacles and discuss some of the weird odds surrounding causes of death and the more macabre outcomes of life.
While many philosophers argue that the concept of our mortality is always marinating softly in our subconscious as we grow and walk through life, we tend to shy away from the topic and not let us overwhelm us in everyday conversation. Despite this, the universe might have a different plan in store for us as lifestyle choices will affect the likelihoods of each outcome.
Here’s the lowdown on the estimated odds of death in various scenarios, as provided by the US National Centre for Health Statistics.
- Skydiving – 1 in 101,083
- Hang gliding – 1 in 560
- Grand Prix Racing – 1 in 100
- Canoeing – 1 in 10,000
- Running & Jogging – 1 in 1 Million
- Bicycling – 1 in 140,845
- Mountain Climbing – 1 in 1,750
- Skiing – 1 in 1.4 Million
- Travelling by Car – 1 in 6,700
- Dancing at a Party – 1 in 100,000
- Boardgames – 1 in 100 Million
- Computer Games – 1 in 100 Million
- A Terrorist Attack – 1 in 9.3 Million
- Being Struck by an Asteroid – 1 in 1.6 Million
While some of these statistics might seem a little startling at first, we certainly hope that they don’t lead to you never leaving your house again. After all, it’s a big beautiful world out there and we all have to go sometime right?
A Glass Half Full
On the flip side, it’s not all doom and gloom out there and we hope we haven’t left you too disheartened. After all, life is beautiful and full of wonder, especially if you know where to find it. This is why we’d like to discuss some strange yet nonetheless positive odds that we hope will leave you reassured.
Dating a Supermodel
If you’re at all acquainted with the world of betting, you’ll know that winning poker strategies are incredibly complex and the chances of winning with a royal flush are few and far between.
In fact, the chances of getting a royal flush are 1 in 649,738. In contrast to this, the odds of dating a supermodel are marginally better and sit at around 1 in 88,000, which we hope will make you feel infinitely better!
That We’re Not Alone
As Carl Sagan aptly put it, all of the human experience has happened on this pale blue dot. This existential dilemma has been the cause of many lost marbles throughout centuries. Why are we here if we’re alone in the universe? Let’s say life began roughly 4 billion years ago and took a long time to become complex and intelligent.
Scientists have calculated then that the probability of intelligent life forming on Earth initially to be roughly 10% or less, which means the chances of intelligent life forming is 10,000:1. With an estimated 20 Billion Earth-like planets that exist in our galaxy alone that can theoretically sustain life, the odds of evolved life on another planet similar to ours is 1 in 2 Million.
Compared to some of the odds we’ve discussed earlier, this leaves us with the relative likelihood that we’re not alone in the universe. A marvelous statistic that we hope comforts you the next time you search for meaning in the skies.
Being Born
It’s all too easy to get lost in the rabbit holes of cosmic, existential questions. On the other hand, mind-blowing statistics and odds can be found in the micro too which are just as deep. As we begin to wind down this article, we’d like to leave you with the ultimate question surrounding probabilities and chance; what are the chances that you even came to exist at all?
To put it bluntly, the odds of you ever being born definitely weren’t favorable, they roughly sit at 1 in 5.5 trillion. Not only did your parents have to meet and conceive through the successful fusion of a particular pair of sperm and egg cells, but you also had to be born after nine months.
If that wasn’t enough, a long line of your ancestors had to the same for untold numbers of generations in order for your parents to even exist, which in itself is miraculous So, if you’ve made it far enough to read this, congratulations! You did it!
Final Thoughts
As we reach the end of this article, we hope that you haven’t spiraled into an existential crisis but instead have gained a newfound appreciation for the twists and spontaneity of the gift of life. While it is a drag to realize that your chances of winning the lottery are relatively slim, we hope it reassures you to know that other betting odds are certainly in your favor.
If you’d like to discover more about the world of betting and gambling, which is bound by odds, then please head over to our homepage to see the top casino sites and find out more about the market.
