How would you react if you found yourself on a sinking ship with a couple of thousand other people? A study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests your behavior—whether you shove your shipmates aside in a mad dash for the lifeboats or selflessly put the safety of others ahead … Read more
A New York Times article published on April 19, 1912 said the Titanic was “laden with 2,340 souls,” while the British Board of Inquiry gave the total number aboard the Titanic at the time of the disaster as 2,201. Using records from the White Star Line and passenger lists, the United State Senate put the … Read more
All things considered, escalators are remarkably safe. The odds a person will die from an escalator accident in the United States during the course of a year are 1 in 90,470,000. That’s a fatality rate of 3 to 4 per year in a country of just over 300,000,000 people. It’s shocking when a death does occur, … Read more
Can exercise land you in the hospital, or even worse, the morgue? In 2008, Max Gilpin, a 15-year-old offensive lineman for his high school football team, was running sprints up and down the field at a practice held in blistering Kentucky August heat. Coach David Jason Stinson was so relentless that one player collapsed and another … Read more
Book of Odds has recently addressed a much chewed-over Internet topic: what is more likely, to die from a shark attack or a vending machine accident? In terms of total victims, vending machines are deadlier. The odds a person will die from a vending machine accident in a year are 1 in 112,000,000, while the odds … Read more
It’s another 90-plus degree scorcher and the beach sounds awfully nice. Sapphire waves beckon—people young and old are playing, swimming, surfing, and having the most refreshing time imaginable. But Shark Week was on TV last night, and the thought of 15-foot-long hungry swimming tubes with teeth is enough to keep any sane person’s feet firmly planted in … Read more
Accidents & Death / Death Rates Like Me Interesting 1 in 251,800,000 The odds a person will die from a shark attack in a year are 1 in 251,800,000 (US, 1999 – 2005). SEND IT E-mail ADD IT New List BUY IT Buy Now SHARE IT Facebook Digg Stumbleupon CONFIDENCE– STATS– People viewed this statement … Read more