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October 10, 2014
Q. What's the downside to the classic “birthday proposition,” the surprising reality that in any group of about 23 random people, there's roughly a 50 percent chance that two of them share the same birthday? Naturally, in an even bigger group, the likelihood of a match goes way up!
A. First, looking at the birthday proposition for U.S. presidents, it's notable that of the first 35 presidents, both James K. Polk and Warren G. Harding were born on November 2 (Polk in 1795, Harding in 1865), say Alfred Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann in “Mathematical Curiosities: A Treasure Trove of Unexpected Entertainments.”
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