I recall Hale–Bopp being incredibly clear in the sky night after night after night. What are the chances that we will see another comet of that magnitude in our lifetimes?
* The Daylight Comet of 1910, reached a magnitude of -5
* Comet Ikeya-Seki, 1965, reached a magnitude of -10 (close to the full moon!) during the day as it grazed the Sun
* Comet West, 1976, reached a magnitude of -3
* Comet McNaught, 2008, reached -5
* Comet Lovejoy, 2011, reached -4 (but was too close to the Sun in the sky to be easily observed by humans)
So that's five comets of greater brightness than Hale-Bopp in ~100 years, or about one every 20 years. Hale-Bopp actually wasn't notable for its brightness, but for its size.