Random Facts: 12/13/12
December 12, 2012, is the century's last sequential date (unless we go to a 13 month calendar really soon). But is there more to this unique arrangement of numbers than just oddity? A much-cited survey conducted by US-based David's Bridal estimated that around 7,500 brides would be getting married in America today — a 1,446 percent increase from 12/12/11. The New York Times wrote that many couples considered it lucky to get married on repetitive dates, with 07-07-07, 10-10-10 and 11-11-11 each breaking Las Vegas records. According to Chinese numerology, the number one is a yang number which is ruled by the sun and represents independence and individualism. Two is a yin number which is ruled by the moon and represents symmetry and balance. When placed together, the number 12 brings harmony to the yin and yang, balancing the feminine energy of the moon with the masculine energy of the sun.
December is the 12th and last month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars, but if you know your Latin you know that decem means "ten". As it turns out, December was also the tenth month in the Roman calendar until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February. Nobel Prizes are awarded on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. December is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
The fertility rate measures the number of births occurring per 1,000 women between the ages of 15-44 in a particular year. Tracking trends in fertility and birth rates is essential in planning for the current and future needs of multiple generations. In 2011, the birth rate for women ages 15 to 29 continued to decline across all age groups, following a small peak in 2007. The fertility rate for all U.S. women is now the lowest it has been since these data have been recorded. While unemployment and a slow economy may have played a role in the recent fertility decline, actual physical infertility effects one in every six couples who are trying to conceive. In at least half of all cases of infertility a male factor is a major or contributing cause. This means that about 10% of all men in the United States who are attempting to conceive suffer from infertility.
The recent record Powerball jackpot is giving the nation lottery fever. Hopefuls are snapping up $2 tickets at a rate of more than 100,000 a minute. But what are they getting themselves into? The odds of winning are astronomical: about 175 million-to-1, according to Powerball. And even if you do win, you won't bring home all $550 million. The federal government takes a quarter of the jackpot in taxes, most states take a small share, and some cities even take a slice. That puts the actual cash value of the winnings around $360 million. If you do win you could fall prey to the "lottery curse". According to Chelmsford wealth counselor Szifra Birke, roughly one-third of lottery winners find themselves in serious financial trouble or bankrupt within five years of turning in their lucky numbers. But I bet most people would be willing to take the risk.
The human body is an incredible machine. It is an engineering miracle we don't take enough time to appreciate! Man has tiny bones once meant for a tail and unworkable muscles once meant to move his ears. If 80 percent of your liver were to be removed, the remaining part would continue to function, and eventually the liver would have reconstituted itself to its original size.
Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast. In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day.
November 19 is an important date in history. President Lincoln delivered what he called his "little speech," which is thought by many today to be the most eloquent articulation of the democratic vision ever written. On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In just 272 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly reminded a war-weary public why the Union had to fight, and win, the Civil War. Also on this date; for the first time in eight years, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States hold a summit conference. Meeting in Geneva, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev produced no earth-shattering agreements. However, the meeting boded well for the future, as the two men engaged in long, personal talks and seemed to develop a sincere and close relationship.
December is the 12th and last month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars, but if you know your Latin you know that decem means "ten". As it turns out, December was also the tenth month in the Roman calendar until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February. Nobel Prizes are awarded on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. December is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
The fertility rate measures the number of births occurring per 1,000 women between the ages of 15-44 in a particular year. Tracking trends in fertility and birth rates is essential in planning for the current and future needs of multiple generations. In 2011, the birth rate for women ages 15 to 29 continued to decline across all age groups, following a small peak in 2007. The fertility rate for all U.S. women is now the lowest it has been since these data have been recorded. While unemployment and a slow economy may have played a role in the recent fertility decline, actual physical infertility effects one in every six couples who are trying to conceive. In at least half of all cases of infertility a male factor is a major or contributing cause. This means that about 10% of all men in the United States who are attempting to conceive suffer from infertility.
The recent record Powerball jackpot is giving the nation lottery fever. Hopefuls are snapping up $2 tickets at a rate of more than 100,000 a minute. But what are they getting themselves into? The odds of winning are astronomical: about 175 million-to-1, according to Powerball. And even if you do win, you won't bring home all $550 million. The federal government takes a quarter of the jackpot in taxes, most states take a small share, and some cities even take a slice. That puts the actual cash value of the winnings around $360 million. If you do win you could fall prey to the "lottery curse". According to Chelmsford wealth counselor Szifra Birke, roughly one-third of lottery winners find themselves in serious financial trouble or bankrupt within five years of turning in their lucky numbers. But I bet most people would be willing to take the risk.
The human body is an incredible machine. It is an engineering miracle we don't take enough time to appreciate! Man has tiny bones once meant for a tail and unworkable muscles once meant to move his ears. If 80 percent of your liver were to be removed, the remaining part would continue to function, and eventually the liver would have reconstituted itself to its original size.
Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast. In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day.
November 19 is an important date in history. President Lincoln delivered what he called his "little speech," which is thought by many today to be the most eloquent articulation of the democratic vision ever written. On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In just 272 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly reminded a war-weary public why the Union had to fight, and win, the Civil War. Also on this date; for the first time in eight years, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States hold a summit conference. Meeting in Geneva, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev produced no earth-shattering agreements. However, the meeting boded well for the future, as the two men engaged in long, personal talks and seemed to develop a sincere and close relationship.
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