Kamal There will likely be fewer people flying over the Thanksgiving holidays compared to last year, but that doesn’t mean there will be plenty of room for everyone who wants to travel. The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade group for major US airlines, expects a 4% year-over-year decrease in passengers between Nov. … Read more
1 in 739.2 The odds an MLB game will include a player hitting for the cycle are 1 in 739.2 (US and CA, 1/1/1901 – 9/8/2009).
1 in 11,500 The odds an MLB game will be a perfect game are 1 in 11,500 (US and CA, 1901 – 2009).
1 in 3,109 The odds an adult Cubs fan has seen the Cubs win a World Series are 1 in 3,109 (US and CA, 2008).
This week’s NFL playoff schedule features a very peculiar scenario. Three of the four games are between teams matching up for the second time in seven days. Talk about your ultimate scouting report. So, what are the odds of that? The odds 3 of 4 NFL wild card games will feature rematches from week 17 are … Read more
Book of Odds reporter Zachary Turpin recently sat down with Bradley Trevor Greive—author of Why Dogs Are Better than Cats—on a sunny beach on the Tasman Sea and discussed, over smoked salmon and vodka gimlets, what it is that makes canines so special to us. OK, almost none of that happened. The interview was, in fact, … Read more
1 in 195,200,000 The odds a Powerball entry will win the jackpot are 1 in 195,200,000 (US, 1/7/2009 – 10/7/2009).
Many of the 2010 Best Picture Oscar nominees had something in common: a focus on language. Much of The Hurt Locker (the winner) is spoken in Arabic; some of District 9, in Afrikaans. The plot of Inglourious Basterds hinges on characters’ ability (or inability) to understand multiple languages. Up gives dogs the ability to speak, and both District 9 and Avatar feature made-up languages. District 9’s is … Read more
I know, it’s enough to shake your faith in humanity, but it’s the cold truth. Singles routinely fudge their height, weight, and age. Frequent online daters can also expect some surprises about income, education, number of children, and even marital status when they come face to face. It seems only natural for people to buff up their images … Read more
Twenty hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute; in turn, users stream 75 billion videos per year. With all those videos, what are your chances of making a dent in the YouTube universe and garnering, say, 1 million views? Slate.com writer Chris Wilson recently addressed just that question, concluding that, “You might have better odds playing the lottery than … Read more