Patterns
Stupid people have attached mystical significance to the fact that all the digits in tomorrow's date, in a certain form of notation, are ones. 11/11/11. I'm not sure exactly what they think is going to happen, or what they think it means, but it's just another example of people thinking they can deduce meaning from meaningless and arbitrary coincidences.
We'll have a good solid twenty-four hours to test out their theories, but we can also seek some inferential guidance from previous dates 11/11/1.
For instance, what about just a hundred years ago?
According to Yahoo Answers:
A record cold snap hits the United States Midwest; many cities break record highs and lows on the same day (see The 11/11/11 cold wave).
The Upton Machine Company, now Whirlpool Corporation, was founded in St Joseph, MI.
An enormous fire strikes Visoko, Bosnia, burning over 450 houses and other objects. The upper city area is completely burned, as well as all the houses down the main street alongside Beledija.
Or we can go back another hundred years. On 11/11/(18)11 I couldn't find many significant or earthshattering event, although it was the date of birth of Confederate general, Ben McCulloch (no relation).
Or, if you want a really significant sequence of ones, what about November 11, 1111?
According to the English version of Yahoo Answers:
The Synod of Rathbreasail marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan structure
Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Paschal II
Baldwin VII becomes Count of Flanders
In other words, nothing much.
My predictions for 11/11/11? It's going to be the 42nd birthday of a good friend of mine, and it happens that she was born on the exact same day I started growing my beard. We can expect that around the world about 360,000 people will be born and another 151,000 will die, but there's a good chance you won't have heard of any of them.
So meet me back here tomorrow night, and let's see what momentous events we met.
We'll have a good solid twenty-four hours to test out their theories, but we can also seek some inferential guidance from previous dates 11/11/1.
For instance, what about just a hundred years ago?
According to Yahoo Answers:
A record cold snap hits the United States Midwest; many cities break record highs and lows on the same day (see The 11/11/11 cold wave).
The Upton Machine Company, now Whirlpool Corporation, was founded in St Joseph, MI.
An enormous fire strikes Visoko, Bosnia, burning over 450 houses and other objects. The upper city area is completely burned, as well as all the houses down the main street alongside Beledija.
Or we can go back another hundred years. On 11/11/(18)11 I couldn't find many significant or earthshattering event, although it was the date of birth of Confederate general, Ben McCulloch (no relation).
Or, if you want a really significant sequence of ones, what about November 11, 1111?
According to the English version of Yahoo Answers:
The Synod of Rathbreasail marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan structure
Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Paschal II
Baldwin VII becomes Count of Flanders
In other words, nothing much.
My predictions for 11/11/11? It's going to be the 42nd birthday of a good friend of mine, and it happens that she was born on the exact same day I started growing my beard. We can expect that around the world about 360,000 people will be born and another 151,000 will die, but there's a good chance you won't have heard of any of them.
So meet me back here tomorrow night, and let's see what momentous events we met.
Labels: 11/11/11, superstition
posted by Jack McCullough at 11:25 PM
2 Comments:
When was it you started growing your beard? (Also, I'm impressed that you know the exact date. Not surprised at all... but impressed.)
1969. I happen to remember because I had the day off from school.
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