A couple have scooped the £1m EuroMillions prize for the second time in two years. The odds, says Camelot, of the couple winning both the draws they entered are 283bn to one.
Odds of dying by asteroid impact – 74.8m to one
In its rather uncheery but interesting chart of death in America, the Economist calculated that the odds of an American dying in a given year due to an asteroid impact can be placed at 74,817,414 to one. In comparison, the chances of getting fatally struck by lightning are 10,495,684 to one.
Odds of being killed by a shark – 3.7m to one
According to National Geographic, you have a one in 3.7m chance of being killed by a shark in your lifetime. To put that in context, five people die from shark attacks every year.
Odds of having three sets of identical twins – 11.7m to one
In 2013, Karen Rodger, 41, from Renfrewshire in the UK, gave birth to a third set of non-identical twins. Reporting on this, the BBC calculated that in the UK the probability of having three sets of non-identical twins is 88,000 to one and the chance of three sets of identical twins is 11.7m to one.
Odds of being struck by lightning – 300,000 to one
The odds of being hit by lightning are 300,000 to one, according to British statistician David Hand. Around 30-60 people are struck by lightning each year in Britain and, on average, 5-10% of these strikes are fatal, says the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Odds of an amateur golfer getting a hole in one – 12,500 to one
National Hole-In-One has attempted to put a number on how hard it is to get a hole in one in a round of golf. According to its analysis, the chance of an amateur golfer getting a hole in one is 12,500 to one. And for a pro? It’s 2,500 to one.
Odds of being killed by a cow – 173,871 to one
Cows were responsible for 108 US deaths between 2003 and 2007. US entertainment site Cracked, which was keen to point out that you really should be scared of cows, used this figure to work out that the odds of an American being killed by a cow is 173,871 to one.
