The times they are a-changin’.
This post seems to be older than 17 years—a long time on the internet. It might be outdated.
As seen in the March 2002 editition of WIRED
- Smallpox: Zero
- Catastrophic asteroid strike: 1 in 1,960,000,000
- Odds you’ll win the Powerball jackpot: 1 in 80,089,128
- Anthrax: 1 in 55,052,999
- Pneumonic plague: 1 in 54,059,705
- Venomous snakes, lizards, and spiders: 1 in 54,049,600
- Falling after collision or shoving: 1 in 45,041,333
- Odds your IQ is above Bobby Fisher’s (187): 1 in 36,927,646
- Cleansers and paints: 1 in 27,024,800
- Domestic hijacking: 1 in 16,817,784
- Odds a coin tosed two dozen times will land heads up every time: 1 in 16,777,216
- Salmonella: 1 in 10,587,115
- Execution by US civil authorities: 1 in 3,622,270
- Lightning strike: 1 in 3,106,880
- Fleash-eating bacteria: 1 in 1,252,488
- Airplane crash: 1 in 659,779
- Odds you’ll get a royal flush in 5-card poker: 1 in 649,739
- Railway accident: 1 in 524,753
- Poison gases or vapors: 1 in 494,960
- Electrical current: 1 in 493,153
- Falling object: 1 in 373,787
- Bad medical care: 1 in 83,720
- Residential fire: 1 in 83,025
- Odds you’ll get a new identity under the witness protection program: 1 in 20,000
- Gun shot: 1 in 8,802
- Odds you’ll have triplets without using fertillity drugs: 1 in 8,100
- Motor vehicle accident: 1 in 6,585
- Flu and pneumonia: 1 in 4,107
- Diabetes: 1 in 4,009
- Odds you’ll be bumped from your next flight: 1 in 4,000
- Unintentional injuries: 1 in 2,941
- Chronic respiratory disease (e.g., asthma): 1 in 2,228
- Stroke: 1 in 1,658
- Odds you’ll injure yourself playing golf: 1 in 600
- Cancer: 1 in 499
- Heart disease: 1 in 388
- Odds your next meal is from McDonald’s: 1 in 8
Statistics are based on the most current data availible from the following sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Danger Ahead, by Larry Laudan; Heritage Foundation; IQ comparison tables; Rodrigo de la Jara; National Safety Council US Statstical Abstract; True Odds, by James Walsh.
0