The Odds
Ever wondered?
-------------------------------
Odds of bowling a 300 game: 11,500 to 1
Odds of getting a hole in one: 5,000 to 1
Odds of getting canonized: 20,000,000 to 1
Odds of being an astronaut: 13,200,000 to 1
Odds of Winning an Olympic medal: 662,000 to 1
Odds of an American speaking Cherokee: 15000 to 1
Odds that a person between the age of 18 and 29 does NOT read a newspaper regularly: 3 to 1
Odds that an American adult does not want to live to age 120 under any circumstances: 3 to 2
Odds of injury from fireworks: 19,556 to 1
Odds of injury from shaving: 6,585 to 1
Odds of injury from using a chain saw: 4,464 to 1
Odds of injury from mowing the lawn: 3,623 to 1
Odds of fatally slipping in bath or shower: 2,232 to 1
Odds of drowning in a bathtub: 685,000 to 1
Odds of being killed on a 5-mile bus trip: 500,000,000 to 1
Odds of being killed sometime in the next year in any sort of transportation accident: 77 to 1
Odds of being killed in any sort of non-transportation accident: 69 to 1
Odds of being struck by lightning: 576,000 to 1
Odds of being killed by lightning: 2,320,000 to 1
Odds of being murdered: 18,000 to 1
Odds of getting away with murder: 2 to 1
Odds of being the victim of serious crime in your lifetime: 20 to 1
Odds of dating a supermodel: 88,000 to 1
Odds of being considered possessed by Satan: 7,000 to 1
Odds that a first marriage will survive without separation or divorce for 15 years: 1.3 to 1
Odds that a celebrity marriage will last a lifetime: 3 to 1
Odds of getting hemorrhoids: 25 to 1
Odds of being born a twin in North America: 90 to 1
Odds of being on plane with a drunken pilot: 117 to 1
Odds of being audited by the IRS: 175 to 1
Odds of having your identity stolen: 200 to 1
Odds of dating a millionaire: 215 to 1
Odds of dating a supermodel: 88,000 to 1
Odds of writing a New York Times best seller: 220 to 1
Odds of finding out your child is a genius: 250 to 1
Odds of catching a ball at a major league ballgame: 563 to 1
Odds of becoming a pro athlete: 22,000 to 1
Odds of finding a four-leaf clover on first try: 10,000 to 1
Odds of a person in the military winning the Medal of Honor: 11,000 to 1
Odds of winning an Academy Award: 11,500 to 1
Odds of striking it rich on Antiques Roadshow: 60,000 to 1
Odds of getting a royal flush in poker on first five cards dealt: 649,740 to 1
Odds of spotting a UFO today: 3,000,000 to 1
Odds of becoming president: 10,000,000 to 1
Odds of winning the California lottery: 13,000,000 to 1
Odds of becoming a saint: 20,000,000 to 1
Odds of a meteor landing on your house: 182,138,880,000,000 to 1
Chance of an American home having at least one container of ice cream in the freezer: 9 in 10.
Chance of dying from any kind of injury during the next year: 1 in 1,820
Chance of dying from intentional self-harm: 1 in 9,380
Chance of dying from an assault: 1 in 16,421
Chance of dying from a car accident: 1 in 18,585
Chance of dying from any kind of fall: 1 in 20,666
Chance of dying from accidental drowning: 1 in 79,065
Chance of dying from exposure to smoke, fire, and flames: 1 in 81,524
Chance of dying in an explosion: 1 in 107,787
Chance that Earth will experience a catastrophic collision with an asteroid in the next 100 years: 1 in 5,000
Chance of dying in such a collision: 1 in 20,000
Chance of dying from exposure to forces of nature (heat, cold, lightning, earthquake, flood): 1 in 225,107
Chance of dying in an airplane accident: 1 in 354,319
Chance of dying from choking on food: 1 in 370,035
Chance of dying in a terrorist attack while visiting a foreign country: 1 in 650,000
Chance of dying in a fireworks accident: 1 in 1,000,000
Chance of dying from overexertion, travel or privation: 1 in 1,428,377
Chance of dying from food poisoning: 1 in 3,000,000
Chance of dying from legal execution: 1 in 3,441,325
Chance of dying from contact with hot tap water: 1 in 5,005,564
Chance of dying from parts falling off an airplane: 1 in 10,000,000
Chance of dying from ignition or melting of nightwear: 1 in 30,589,556
Chance of dying from being bitten by a dog: 1 in 700,000
Chance of dying from contact with a venomous animal or plant: 1 in 3,441,325
Chance of dying from being bitten or struck by mammals (other than dogs or humans): 1 in 4,235,477
Chance of dying from a mountain lion attack in California: 1 in 32,000,000
Chance of dying from a shark attack: 1 in 300,000,000
Chance of having a stroke: 1 in 6
Chance of dying from heart disease: 1 in 3
Chance of getting arthritis: 1 in 7
Chance of suffering from asthma or allergy diseases: 1 in 6
Chance of getting the flu this year: 1 in 10
Chance of developing schizophrenia: 1 in 00
Chance of contracting the human version of mad cow disease: 1 in 40,000,000
Chance of dying from SARS in the United States: 1 in 100,000,000
Chance of American man developing cancer in his lifetime: 1 in 2
Chance of an American woman developing cancer in her lifetime: 1 in 3
Chance of getting prostate cancer: 1 in 6
Chance of getting breast cancer: 1 in 9
Chance of getting colon / rectal cancer: 1 in 26
Chance of beating pancreatic or liver cancer: 1 in 9
Chance of beating thyroid or testicular cancer: 9 in 10
THE FOLLOWING FACTS assume the reader is an American
The odds are 1 out of 25 (4%) that you (as an American adult) have never had sex. - Time Magazine, 8/13/07
The odds are 1 out of 83 (1.2%) that you are dependent on drugs to get you through the day. - Time Magazine, 7/16/07
The odds are 1 out of 5 (20%) that you have tried cocaine at some point in your life (if you are between 20 and 49 years old). - San Diego Union, 7/10/07
The odds are 8 out of 10 (80%) that you are dependent on coffee or soda for that caffeine every day. - Time Magazine, 7/16/07
The odds are 1 out of 13 (7.7%) that you are dependent on alcohol to get you through the day. - Time Magazine, 7/16/07
The odds are 1 out of 428 (.233%) that you were arrested for marijuana-related offenses in 2006. - The Week Magazine, 7/20/07
The odds are 1 out of 4 (25%) that you work at a job where you never get a paid day off. - Time Magazine, 7/2/07
The odds are 1 out of 7 (15%) that you have a tattoo. - The Week Magazine, 7/13/07
The odds are 1 out of 5 (17%) that you regret getting your tattoo if you have one. - The Week Magazine, 7/13/07
The odds are 1 out of 38 (2.6%) that you were a victim of a violent crime in 2006 if you live in Flint, Michigan. - Time Magazine, 6/18/07
The odds are 1 out of 1,428 (.07%) that you were a victim of a violent crime in 2006 if you live in Irvine, California. - Time Magazine, 6/18/07
The odds are 1 out of 8 (11.63%) that you live in an area threatened by an Atlantic hurricane. - San Diego Union, 6/11/07
The odds are 3 out of 10 (30%) that you plan to take sick days this summer to go to the beach or go shopping. - The Week Magazine, 6/15/07
The odds are 1 out of 10,000 (.001%) that you will get injured by a toilet this year. - San Diego Union, 5/29/07
The odds are 3 out of 4 (75%) that you forbid smoking in your home. - Winston-Salem Journal, 5/25/07
The odds are 1 out of 170,000 (.000587%) that you will be killed in an auto accident caused by a laptop computer related distraction. - San Diego Union, 6/12/07
The odds are 1 out of 6,000 (.0016%) that you are a practicing nudist (and you are a member of the American Association for Nude Recreation). - The Week Magazine, 5/25/07
The odds are 1 out of 17,857 (.0056%) that you will be murdered this year. If you're a resident of Nevada, the odds are 1 out of 11,682 (.00856%). - Time Magazine, 4/9/07
The odds are 1 out of 14 (7.3%) that you contributed the $3 on your 2006 tax return to help finance presidential campaigns. - The Week Magazine, 5/4/07
The odds are 1 out of 3,000 (.03333%) that you will die having an adverse reaction to a prescription drug. - San Diego Union, 5/15/07
The odds are 1 out of 7,143 (.014%) that you have a brain tumor. - North County Times, 4/8/07
The odds are 1 out of 7.69 (13%) that you have never heard of global warming. - Discover Magazine, 4/07
The odds are 19 out of 20 (95%) that you procrastinate occasionally. - News.com, 1/11/07
The odds are 1 out of 16,917 (.005911%) that you will be murdered this year. - Time Magazine, 12/4/06
The odds are 1 out of 33,333 (.003%) that you will die from a food-borne illness this year. - San Diego Union, 2/6/07
The odds are 1 out of 6,703 (.014919%) that you will die in a motor-vehicle accident this year. - Time Magazine, 12/4/06
The odds are almost 2 out of 3 (63%) that you're rather be poor and thin than rich and fat (if you're an American woman). - The Week Magazine, 12/29/06
The odds are 1 out of 900,900 (.000111%) that you will drown in the bathtub this year. - Time Magazine, 12/4/06
The odds are 1 out of 414 (.2413%) that you rely on eBay for your primary or secondary source of income. - USPS.com, 7/21/05
The odds are 1 out of 438(.2284%) that you will die from heart disease this year. - Time Magazine, 12/4/06
The odds are 37 out of 100 (37%) that a baby born in 2005 was born to an unwed mother. - The Week Magazine, 12/15/06
The odds are 1 out of 1,020 (.098%) that a North Dakotan will be a victim of violent crime. - Time Magazine, 12/18/06
The odds are 1 out of 1,360 (.0735%) that a resident of New Orleans will be murdered this year. - The Week Magazine, 12/15/06
The odds are 1 out of 131 (.761%) that a South Carolinan will be a victim of violent crime. - Time Magazine, 12/18/06
The odds are 1 out of 8 (12.5%) that you are addicted to the Internet, risking jobs and relationships to spend more time online. - Popular Science, 1/07
The odds are 1 out of 300,000,000 (.000000333%) that you will die from measles this year. - Time Magazine, 12/4/06
The odds are 1 out of 26,239 (.003811%) that you will be killed this year by an AK-47 automatic weapon. - The Week Magazine, 12/8/06
The odds are 1 out of 4,545,454 (.000022%) that you will die from a bee or wasp sting this year. - Time Magazine, 12/4/06
The odds are 1 out of 5,898 (.01695%) that an American got sick or died in 2000-2004 from something they ate. - Anchorage Daily News, 11/21/06
The odds are 1 out of 83 (1.2%) that you are a millionaire. - The Week Magazine, 12/1/06
The odds are 1 out of 32 (3.125%) that a person in America is currently being punished for a crime (behind bars, on probation, or on parole). - San Diego Union, 11/30/06
The odds are 1 out of 29,180 (.0034274%) that your child will be involved in a school bus accident this year. - The Week Magazine, 11/17/06
The odds are 1 out of 4 (25%) that a person in America gets no exercise at all. - San Diego Union, 9/12/06
The odds are 1 out of 825 (.1212%) that an American lives in a household that earns more than $2 million each year. - The Week Magazine, 12/8/06
The odds are 1 out of 37,888 (.002639%) that you will turn 50 years old today. - Time Magazine, 8/21/06
The odds are 1 out of 48 (2.067%) that you have diabetes but don't know it. - San Diego Union, 11/28/06
The odds are 1 out of 7 (14.2%) that you visited New York City last year. - The Week Magazine, 9/22/06
The odds are 1 out of 150 (.66%) that a person in America is in jail. - 30 Days (FX TV), 8/30/06
The odds are (starting in 2011) 1 out of 30,000 (.00333%) that you will celebrate your 65th birthday today. - San Diego Union, 11/28/06
The odds are 1 out of 238 (.42%) that a person will die in an auto accident in their lifetime. - National Safety Council, 8/06
The odds are 1 out of 290 (.35%) that a person in America is an illegal alien. - Time Magazine, 9/4/06
The odds are 8 out of 10 (80%) that you will die in a hospital. - Discover Magazine, 9/06
The odds are 1 out of 150 (.66%) that you use cocaine "frequently", according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. - Red Herring Magazine, 8/14/06
The odds are 1 out of 1,000 (.0977%) that you will have a shopping cart injury serious enough to warrant an emergency room visit, if you're a child under 5. - San Diego Union, 8/15/06
The odds are 1 out of 550 (.183%) that you will have a severe stroke this year. - Discover Magazine, 6/06
The odds are 1 out of 500 (.2%) that you visited Graceland last year. - Time Magazine, 5/29/06
The odds are 1 out of 4,745 (.021%) that you will die falling out of bed. - Blender Magazine, 4/06
The odds are 1 out of 16 (7%) that if you live in the United States, you live in the New York City metropolitan area. - The Week Magazine, 5/19/06
The odds are 1 out of 694 (.144%) that you ran a marathon in 2005. - Time Magazine, 8/28/06
The odds are 2 out of 3 (65%) that you cannot find Iraq on a map, if you are between age 18 to 24. - CNN.com, 5/4/06
The odds are 1 out of 2 (50%) that if you're a smoker who has been diagnosed with cancer, you will continue to smoke. - USAToday, 11/27/05
The odds are 2 out of 5 (38%) that if you called in sick (in 2004), you weren't actually sick. - Chicago Tribune, 9/25/05
The odds are 1 out of 340,734 (.000293%) that a person will die in a fireworks accident. - National Safety Council, 8/06
The odds are 1 out of 2 (54%) that you've been caught picking your nose while driving, if you're a man. - Stuff Magazine, 5/06
The odds are 1 out of 4 (25%) that if you played in the 2005 Super Bowl, you weighed 300 pounds or more. Twenty years ago, there were only a total of five NFL players who weighed 300 pounds. - Miami Herald, 2/1/05
The odds are 1 out of 9 (10.65%) that, if you're an American, you bought an iPod in 2005. - Blender Magazine, 4/06
The odds are 1 out of 5 (20%) that if you're eating out, your restaurant meal is purchased from a car. - Life Magazine, 3/10/06
The odds are 4 out of 9 (44%) that if you're a federal employee, you're eligible to retire within five years. - Time Magazine, 12/12/05
The odds are 1 out of 4,666 (.0021432%) that you will be sued by the RIAA for illegal filesharing. - Blender Magazine, 4/06
The odds are 1 out of 6 (16%) that if you're an adult living in Arizona, you have been the victim of identity theft sometime in the past five years. - Network World, 6/5/06
The odds are 1 out of 5 (20%) that you will "happily" interrupt a business or social meeting to respond to a telephone call or e-mail message. - Discover Magazine, 8/05
The odds are 9 out of 10 (91%) that 91% you have a living grandmother, if you're a 20 year old. A century ago, only 83% of 20-year-olds had a living mother, much less a living grandmother. - Los Angeles Daily News, 7/16/05
The odds are 1 out of 1275 (.0783%) that you will be hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury this year. - Discovery Magazine, 6/06
The odds are 1 out of 5 (20%) that you believe the best way to get rich is to win the lottery. - Yahoo News, 1/9/06
The odds are 1 out of 200 (.5%) that you will turn up missing this year, if you're an Alaskan. - Boston Globe, 3/13/05
The odds are 4 out of 5 (80%) that if you're in a car accident, it involves drivers who are either drowsy or distracted by such activities as chatting on cell phones, eating, or putting on makeup. - Washington Post, 4/20/06
The odds are 9 out of 9 (100%) that the winning quarterback in Super Bowl 6 through Super Bowl 14 wore the jersey number 12. - Sporting News, 3/17/06
The odds are 1 out of 4 (25%) that if you own a PDA, you have lost it at least once. - USA Today, 3/28/05
The odds are 1 out of 6 (18%) that you will mow your lawn this weekend. - US News and World Report, 5/16/05
The odds are 1 out of 5 (20%) that you will have a car crash within the first year of driving (if you are 16 years old). - USA Today, 3/2/05
Strange Historic Facts
In 200 BC, when the Greek city of Sparta was at the height of its power there were 20 slaves for every citizen.
The first-known contraceptive was crocodile dung and was used by the Egyptians in 2000 BC.
The Hundred Year War actually lasted for 116 years – from 1337 to 1453.
The shortest war there has ever been was between Britain and Zanzibar during 1896. It lasted for a pathetic 38 minutes.
Everyone in the Middle Ages believed -- as Aristotle had -- that the heart was the seat of intelligence.
Fourteenth century physicians didn't know what caused the plague, but they knew it was contagious. As a result they wore an early kind of bioprotective suit which included a large beaked head piece. The beak of the head piece, which made them look like large birds, was filled with vinegar, sweet oils and other strong smelling compounds to counteract the stench of the dead and dying plague victims.
In England and the American colonies they year 1752 only had 354 days. In that year, the type of calendar was changed, and 11 days were lost.
The condom was invented in the early 1500's, and was originally made of linen.
In the Great Fire of London in 1666 half of London was burnt down but only 6 people were injured.
It has been calculated that in the last 3,500 years, there have only been 230 years of peace throughout the civilized world.
At the height of inflation in Germany in the early 1920s, one U.S. dollar was equal to 4 quintillion German marks.
In 1778, fashionable women of Paris never went out in blustery weather without a lightning rod attached to their hats.
During the time of Peter the Great, any Russian man who wore a beard was required to pay a special tax.
In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage for girls to 12.
Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the death of their cats.
In ancient Rome, a runaway slave was considered a criminal because he had stolen himself (i.e. the property of his master)!
Roman women especially enjoyed when their husbands went to war against Germany because the naturally-blond hair of Germans captured in battle would be used to make wigs!
According to Juvenal, the streets of Rome were so noisy that people living near them would die from lack of sleep! (Hyperbolically speaking, of course)
The punishment of a Vestal Virgin who broke her oath of chastity was to be buried alive!
In early Rome, a father could legally execute any member of his household!
In May 1948, Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe, both in New Zealand, erupted simultaneously.
