The Odds of Luck: Meteorites, Lottery Wins, Bird Poo and murders
2 min read Updated 14 June 2024
Some say it’s lucky to be hit by bird poo.
Now, call me skeptical, but I can’t quite work out how a surprise splat from above equates to good fortune.
I mean, sure, it might mean you dodged a more significant avian assault, but lucky? I’m not convinced.
This morning, my husband got that “pat on the head” feeling while walking the dogs. Obviously my first thought was “bird poop” (it wasn’t thankfully… just a twig), but that caused us to start talking about odds.
Was it more likely someone would win the lottery, or get hit on the head by bird poop?
Spoiler alert: I’ve had more unexpected white splatters than lucky lottery tickets!
And what about meteorites? How often did people get hit by those?
Turns out … not often – but believe it or not – SOMEONE HAS been hit by one!!
So we bring you the story of today… Ann Hodges, the only known person in history to have been struck by a meteorite!
Back in 1954, in the charming town of Sylacauga, Alabama, Ann Hodges was just minding her own business, enjoying a cozy nap on her living room couch. Little did she know, fate had a celestial surprise in store. Crash! A meteorite crashed through her roof, bounced off the radio, and left Ann with a bruise to remember — literally!
Talk about being thrown a celestial curveball. Obviously she hit the headlines – and as far as we know, despite the odds of being hit by a meterite being calculated to be 1 in 250,000, she’s the ONLY person to have ever been hit (that we know about). Needless to say you’ll find her in the guinness book of records.
Which then got me thinking about odds in general.
So here’s some stats for you:
Getting killed by a meteorite: 1 in 250,000
Getting killed by a tornado: 1 in 60,000
Getting killed by an airplane crash 1 in 30,000
Getting killed by a flood: 1 in 27,000
Being hit by bird poop: 1 in 11,500
Getting killed by another person – 1 in 185 – which is somewhat scary!!
It seems, according to statistics, you’ve more chance of being murdered, than suffering with guano… so having bit hit by a bird more than once in my lifetime, I should really be quite thankful!!