If you live in a tropical area, you might harbor private fears of being attacked by a shark while lazing about in the ocean. But sharks aren’t your biggest problem; you’re more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than a malevolent, toothy fish. Don’t believe it? Take a look at the odds of some of these everyday—and not-so-everyday—occurrences:
Odds of successfully climbing Mount Everest: 1 in 3
Odds of getting divorced: 1 in 3
Odds of dying from being bitten by a dog: 1 in 700,000
Odds of having quadruplets: 1 in 700,000
Odds that you will die this year from a shark attack: 1 in 300 million
Odds that you will die this year from a falling coconut: 1 in 250 million
Odds of being bit by a poisonous snake: 1 in 36 million
Odds of dying from a mountain lion attack in California: 1 in 32 million
Odds of death by lightning strike: 1 in 2,500,000
Odds of dying from eating Fugu (blowfish) in Japan: 1 in 3 million
Odds of winning the Mega Millions lottery: 1 in 135,145,920
Odds of dying from SARS in the United States: 1 in 100 million
Odds that your child is a genius: 1 in 250
Odds of writing a New York Times best seller: 1 in 220
Odds of being the victim of serious crime in your lifetime: 1 in 20
Odds of getting colon cancer: 1 in 20
Odds that an event with a probability of 1,000,000:1 occurs in America today: 1 in 295
Odds of dying from falling down: 1 in 246
Odds of a professional golfer getting a hole in one: 1 in 2,500
Odds of an infant dying of SIDS: 1 in 2,500
Odds of an amateur golfer getting a hole in one: 1 in 5,000
Odds of dying from electrocution: 1 in 5,000
Odds of guessing a four-digit lock combination on the first guess: 1 in 10,000
Odds of finding a four-leaf clover on the first try: 1 in 10,000
Odds of any given American being elected president: 1 in 10 million
Odds of dying from parts falling off an airplane: 1 in 10 million
Odds of getting cancer while living near coal ash: 1 in 50
Odds that you’ll live to 100: 1 in 50
The media and our own hopes and speculations can lead us to imagine some ridiculous odds. In reality, crazy deaths and lucky breaks are far less likely to occur than we generally believe. So blow your money on blowfish (it probably won’t kill you), not lottery tickets (you probably won’t win), and try to steer clear of falling coconuts.
Sources:
LiveScience
Funny2.com
The Longest List