Submitted by Deechon t3_1196c45 in todayilearned
I read that death rates among Christians tend to drop before Christmas and spike immediately after Christmas. The same happens with Jewish people around Passover. Sort of like they are hanging on for that last big event with their family.
Sir James Milne Wilson, who served as Premier of Tasmania from 1869 to 1872, was born on 29 February 1812 and died on 29 February 1880.
Such a young man; died on his 17th birthday.
Not to be ghoulish but my goal has been to die on my birthday (far in the future, when I am very old).
Something about that symmetry appeals to me.
right? I'm almost tempted to cheat
Business idea.
I would want to die the day before.
That way, I will have lived exactly 100 years (or whatever).
My wife was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in October at the age of 53. Prognosis: 2% chance of surviving 5 years.
A year later in December, had a massive "55 and still alive!" birthday party with a couple of dozen friends.
Turned 56 a year later. Died the next day a little past nine in the morning.
I'm sorry for your loss. I hope her last years were incredible.
We shared 10 years together, 8 healthy passionate years, and 2 "fighting cancer" years. They were all incredible, as I discovered a depth of compassion in me that I didn't know existed.
[deleted]
So, six months from my birthday I'm invincible? That's how statistics work, right? Got it.
Be careful, remember it's a guarantee you will die within six months of your birthday...
This guy understands statistics
My dad died on his 91st birthday. Felt like he was hanging on for it.
That is not an uncommon phenomenon.
Interesting I wonder how much our will to live impacts our ability to keep living even in extreme conditions and how that system works
My mom was already in hospice when she died on her birthday
The Lad population
Now I'm no statistician (thank god), but I wonder if it might have less to do with any of those factors on their own than with the very fact that there are multiple factors that could potentially result in you being more likely to die around your birthday.
What do you think “variously attributed” means?
[deleted]
Not that!
“Attribute”, as the word suggests, means to regard something or someone as the cause of something else.
If a phenomenon is “variously attributed” is that there are various theories about the cause, not necessarily that there are several causes.
[deleted]
"Attributed to different factors depending on who you ask"? That's what it usually means, anyway.
Lol no. It is saying there are multiple factors contributing to the statistical difference.
myeff t1_j9kx8j8 wrote
Death rates also increase at Christmas/New Year's, for probably the same reasons.