It’s been a long time since I dedicated a post to a number, so today is as good as day as any to celebrate Sixty Factoids about 60.
In Mathematics
1) 60 is a composite number, unitary perfect number, an excessive number, a Harshad number, a semiperfect number
2) Divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60
3) An icosidodecahedron has 60 edges
4) In geometry, 60 minutes in a degree
5) A number system with base 60 is called sexagesimal, which the Babylonians and the Mali Empire used
In Science
6) Neodymium has the atomic number 60, whose neutral state consists of 60 protons and 60 electrons (and they make interesting magnets)
7) Number in Earth years between Great Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn
8) Appropriately for today, 60 Aquarii is the Flamsteed designation for a star in the equatorial constellation of Aquarius
9) The first fullerene (buckyball) discovered was buckminsterfullerene C-60 – an allotrope of carbon with 60 atoms in each molecule, arranged in a truncated icosahedron (appearing like a soccer ball)
In Religion
10) In the Bible, the number 60 is the age of Isaac when Jacob and Esau were born, and the number of warriors escorting King Solomon
11) In the laws of kashrut of Judaism, 60 is also the proportion (60:1) of kosher to non-kosher ingredients that can render an admixture kosher post-facto
12) In the Koran, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created Adam in His own image with His length of sixty cubits
In Entertainment
13) TV shows include 60 Minutes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Sixty Minute Man, and 60 Minute Makeove
14) Movies include Gone in 60 Seconds (Nicolas Cage & Angelina Jolie), Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold, and 60 Second Assassin
15) Songs include Sixty Seconds to Kingdom Come (U2), Sixty Years On (Elton John), Sixty Minutes Man (Billy Ward and the Dominoes), Zero to Sixty (Aaron Watson), and 60 – a set of etudes for the classical guitar (Matteo Carcassi )
16) Books include the Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (Lilian Jackson Braun), Sixty Things to Do When You Turn Sixty, and Totally MAD: 60 Years of Humor, Satire, Stupidity, and Stupidity
17) Read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 60
In Sports
18) Although not the record, Babe Ruth 60 home runs in 1927 remains a standard
19) At League Park (Cleveland), a home run to right field (only 290 ft away) had to clear a 60 ft wall,
20) Baker Bowl (Philadelphia) had a 60-foot wide foul ground surrounding the field of play
21) The only professional sports jerseys retired is Chuck Bednarik (Eagles, NFL)
22) The Hamilton TIger-cats won the 60th Grey Cup on December 3, 1972 by defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders13-10, which was also the last Grey Cup played in December
23) In 341 NASCAR races, car #60 has won once (Bill Rexford, driver)
24) In darts, 60 (treble-twenty) is the highest score which can be achieved with a single dart
In Standards
25) The infield in softball is smaller than in baseball; each base is 60 ft
26) Bowling alley is 60 ft from foul line to termination
27) 60 metres hurdles is a distance in an indoor hurdling race
28) In time, 60 seconds in a minute, and 60 minutes in an hour (a legacy of the Babylon?)
29) 60 hertz is the electrical utility frequency in western Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and several other countries in the Americas
30) 60 feet in the standard measurement tool to evaluate an automotive launch on a dragstrip
31) The time required an automobile accelerates to from rest to 60 miles per hour is a standard measurements of performance
32) The 1 in 60 rule is a rule of thumb used in air navigation, and states that if a pilot has travelled sixty miles then an error in track of one mile is approximately a 1° error
In Geography
33) Alabama’s Natural Bridge formation is 60 ft high
34) The upper falls of Alabama’s DeSoto Falls drop 60 meters
35) 60th parallel South does not cross any land
36) 60 Parallel North crosses Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, United States, Canada, Greenland, and Scotland
37) 60 Meridian West crosses Greenland, Canada, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Falkland Islands, South Shetland Islands, and Antarctica,
38) 60th Meridian East crosses Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran, but no land in the southern hemisphere.
39) The Great Crack is an eight-mile-long, 60 feet (18 m) wide and 60 feet (18 m) deep fissure in the island, in the district of Kau (big island of Hawaii)
40) The 60th Street Tunnel carries the N Q R trains of the New York City Subway under the East River and Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens
41) Highway/route 60 is found in 5 Canadian provinces, Chile, Europe (Euro route from France to Romania), Israel, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, and the UK. In the US, there is a federal highway, 30 states, and 2 territories
In World History
42) The Battle of Hill 60 was the last major assault of the Battle of Gallipoli in the Middle Eastern theatre of WW I
43) Nippon Airways (ANA) Flight 60 was a Boeing 727-81 aircraft that crashed on February 4, 1966. All 133 passengers and crew died
44) In 60 BC (also known as Chinese calendar 2577/2637 to 2578/2638, Thai solar calendar year 484, Holocene calendar year 9941), Gaius Julius Caesar conquers all of Lusitania, the Han Dynasty government (China) establishes the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and Prince Ptolemy of Egypt, later Pharaoh Ptolemy XIV of Egypt is born
45) In 60 AD (also known as Assyrian year 4810, Berber year 1010, Buddhist year 604), Emperor Nero sends an expedition to explore the historical city Meroë (Sudan), Paul of Tarsus journeys to Rome, but is shipwrecked at Malta, and Hero of Alexandria writes Metrica, Mechanics, and Pneumatics.
In US History
46) Alexander Hamilton wrote Federalist Paper #60
47) Sixtieth United States Congress met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1907 to March 4, 1909, during the last two years of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency
48) The Sixty Years’ War (1754–1814) was a military struggle for control of the Great Lakes region in North America, encompassing a number of wars over several generations
In Potpourri
49) Other ways to write sixty: LX, 1111002, Zestig, Soixante, Sessanta, Sześćdziesiąt, Altmış, Seksti
50) The National Assembly for Wales and the Grand and General Council (San Marino’s parliment) are each composed of 60 members
51) 60 is the retirement age for Men in Belarus, China, India, Pakistan, Russian, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, …. for women in India, Pakistan, and Malta
52) 60 years of marriage is the diamond wedding anniversary
53) The maximum number of marbles (game pieces) in Chinese checkers
54) The code for international direct dial calls to Malaysia
55) Miss Sixty is a women’s apparel brand
56) The total number of cards in the game Rack-O
57) 60 kilometers per hour is a common speed limit in Russia’s urban areas
58) One giant squid specimen that washed ashore in 1878 in Newfoundland reportedly measured 60 ft (18m)
59) Baby boomers are members of the 60s generation
60) There are many more items associated with 60, but on this day, it’s only sixty.
Happy Birthday, Frank
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Shimon,
Many thanks for the birthday greeting from Israel!
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It takes 60 years of marriage to get to the diamonds? Yikes! Good thing I’m not a jewelry gal…
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Oh, and Happy Birthday!!
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Many thanks Carrie … and my first greeting from a fellow Ohioan!
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Carrie,
LOL … make sure you tell hubby, “No diamonds until 60th anniversary?” 😉
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Will do. But it works well for us because I’m not a diamond gal. The satellite radio, SodaStream, and the treadmill shelf he got me remain my favorite gifts. 🙂
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You’ve got good taste, Carrie!
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Happy Birthday! I feel so much smarter now too. 😉
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Jackie,
Alright … another greeting from Canada … Calgary if I remember. Many thanks!
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Frank am I sensing a 60th birthday today..??? If so happy birthday to you…
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Bulldog,
Absolutely!!! Today is a milestone day, so I thought it was a fitting time to officially disclose my birthday for the first time. Many thanks for the greeting from South Africa.
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Happy birthday and thanks for doing my head in – ha!
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Hey Frank, I have a factoid for you, Chevrolet started making the Corvette in 1953. It was quite a beauty!
http://corvettes.about.com/od/history/p/The-First-Corvette.htm
Happy Birthday!
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Lame,
Ah ha … a vintage car for a vintage guy. How sweet … and all the way from the Big Apple as well. (Wow … you’re up late!) 😉 Many thanks!
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“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
― William Shakespeare
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Clan,
Alright … love the present of wisdom! After all, it fits my philosophy. Thank you Vancouver!
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Happy Birthday! Your post was “stupendous”–say that word 6 times and you would have used 60 letters!
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Patti,
What a unique greeting! … so I said it six times, actually more than once! Thanks Patti!
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Well happy birthday! And there’s a lot of research gone into that post! Who knew the number 60 had so many stories to tell?
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Vanessa,
When I’ve done other salutes to a number, I usually give me factoids. But, I did only 60 for myself, after all, I’ve been doing this blog for 4+ years and never officially disclosed my birthday …. well, other then the cryptic, embedded clues. Many thanks for the greeting from across the pond!
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Great stuff Frank! Happy Bday.
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Les,
It’s my man from California who needs to go to Capps Corner for dinner! 🙂 The fact that you took the time for a greeting is special indeed. Many thanks … and I hope all is well with you.
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Happy Birthday Frank–maybe 60 is our year!
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LouAnn,
May this be a good year. Woo hoo!!!! Many thanks for greeting from Ontario!
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HAPPY SIXTY, Frank!!!! [what a great number!]
🙂
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Marina,
To wake up and the first comment is from my favorite Greek made me smile. Many thanks!
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🙂
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Happiest Happy Birthday, Frank!!! And congratulations on 60! What a great number, too.
Namaste, my Friend.
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Victoria,
Hey hey … cheers for remembering to stop by all the way from North Carolina! Many thanks!
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I’d been looking forward to it, since Thursday! I hope you are having an absolutely fantabulous day, Frank!
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Many thanks Victoria!
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Fab Frank. Great number post. Love it. Happy B-day.
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Mobius,
Many thanks for the greetings from the northern part of our state!
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Happy Birthday, Frank, and welcome to the 60 club!
Glad to see you included “Sixty Minute Man” in your list. This song is one of the core “beach music” songs, a genre of music popular in the Carolina beaches to which everyone danced “the shag” which was a slow jitterbug. Here’s a link to the song, if anyone wants to listen.
Here’s a link to more about “beach music” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_music
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Lynn,
Thanks for the warm greeting to the club from the Pennsylvania chapter …. and the music video. Love it!
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Happy Birthday Frank! You’ll surely have more than 60 happy birthday wishes and hopefully you’ll have less than 60 slices of birthday cake. And in the spirit of baby boomers I’m singing “60 candles” instead of “16 candles”.
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Rachel,
60 candles instead of 16 is a fire hazard! Nonetheless, many thanks for the greetings from Texas!
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I live in LA:)
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Thanks for the correction …. and who knows why I had Texas in my head.
BTW – Yesterday, my wife and I went to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit that is currently in Cincinnati. 🙂
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Mayday be because I lived in Houston when I came to this country? I blogged about the experience.
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That’s it! Alright … I wasn’t totally off my rocker!
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Happy B-day. Are you also a “Sixty Minute Man”?
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Hansi,
Thanks for the birthday greeting from California … and like most males, I wish I was a 60-minute man.
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Congratulations. I am five behind, so I better go looking for the 55 post. Many years of fun and enjoyment for you and your family.
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Randel,
Alright … birthday greetings from Wisconsin have been received … what, no beer or cheese? 😉 BTW …. I have a post on 55 already done!
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Happy Birthday, Frank! Loved all the facts about 60 and I hope your 60th is fabulous!
Cathy
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Cathy,
Thanks for stopping by all the way from the great state of Colorado. 🙂 … well, I think that’s where you are.
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You’re exactly right, Frank!
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Happy Birthday Frank!
Even though I am not a numbers girl, I do love your numbers posts — especially when they mean that you’re celebrating with us, your blogging buddies.
I’m wishing you many more, Frank. ;0
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Elyse,
I will confess that I’ve been looking forward to my blogging buddies stopping by today! Many thanks for the wishes … and cheers to you in northern Virginia.
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A long time ago, I saw Ed Bradley perform 60 Minute Man with Jimmy Buffett.
Happy Birthday Frank, and many more!
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Guapo,
Music is linked to many memories. Thanks for stopping for the birthday wish from Queens.
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A very happy happy personal new year Frank.
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Val,
Many thanks to the good lady from Texas for stopping by on my day.
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I turn 60 in just over a week.
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Debra,
Receiving your birthday wishes from Bagni is extra special to me … so many thanks … and cheers to your approach birthday! Hey … we went to different schools together!
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Happy sixtieth, Frank! And thanks for providing quite a few interesting facts about the number sixty… although I’m still having a few problems trying to say icosidodecahedron!
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Tom,
Icosidodecahedron would be a good one down at the pub! Thanks for the greeting from the UK!
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Happy birthday! What an important milestone. I hope you did something special to celebrate. I had never thought about all the TV shows and movies that have 60 in them xx
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Spiced,
Alright … an Aussie birthday greeting! We had a good day. Unfortunately we cancelled the party, thus did something spontaneous, thus off to the museum followed by dinner. Thanks again for the greeting.
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Happy B day! How are you celebrating?
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Seashells,
Woo hoo … A birthday video from beautiful San Diego. We had a good day as we went to the Cincinnati Museum Center then dinner. At the museum we saw a wonderful Omnimax about Monarch butterflies and then went to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Thanks for the greetings!
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Happy birthday Frank!
Have a great day 🙂
I learned so much from this post. Your knowledge about different aspects of the world is incredible.
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Vino,
Cheers … and all the way from Germany (I think) … I’ve done other numbers posts because I enjoy doing these. Thanks again for the greeting.
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Happy 60th Birthday Frank! It’s been awhile. Love the numbers and facts about No. 60.
Another one would be Chuck Bednarik, who wore No. 60 for the Philadelphia Eagles and was the last of the players who played on both sides of the ball at center and linebacker. Also, he helped lead the Eagles to their last championship to date in the year 1960.
Hope all is well buddy!
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David,
Woo hoo … another Pioneer stopping by from North Carolina. I also saw your note that you missed my mentioning of Bednarik (Wow, what a player!) Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by and surprising me! Hope all is well with you.
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HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD! HBD!
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Joe,
Wow … one of my Pioneers stopping by all the way from LA …. (For those who don’t know, that’s Lower Arkansas) …. Thanks for the special treat!
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Oops, I missed the Bednarik one originally in your post.
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Wow, Frank. Really great facts. But the most important one was at the bottom. Happy Birthday!!!
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Maddie,
Alright … Gotta love birthday greetings from a fellow Ohioan. 🙂 Glad you appreciated the surprise at the bottom …. kind of a surprise party for the guests! Thanks for the greeting!
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Is it really your birthday? Why didn’t you let anyone know?!!
Happy Birthday Frank! Here’s a little something for you 🙂
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Alex,
I’ve always kept my birthday hidden on this blog. Never lying, but never disclosing. So, this was a chance to surprise the regulars! Loved the video about Mercury … and thanks for the greetings from Texas.
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Many happy returns! You kept that one under your hat 🙂 Good post too!!!
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Fasab,
I’ve kept it well disguised for 4+ years … although there are hints throughout the blog. So, because this was a milestone, I decided to spill the beans. Thanks for greetings from Florida.
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Now I know why you outdrive me by 50 yds. You’re 5 years younger!
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Tim,
Ha ha … but I’m hitting the ball further now than you were 5 years ago. Thanks for stopping by the celebration.
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Buon compleanno, Frank!! I hope you had a wonderful day with much good red wine, good food and fun!! Here’s to another 60!
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Molti grazie, Weebs! We had a good day, so on to the 60s!
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The Queen had a Diamond Jubilee for her 60th anniversary, so you’re having your Diamond Jubilee year. Much happiness in the year(s) to come. A birthday is very special at each and every year. 🙂
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Debra,
Many thanks for the sincere wishes … and to think The Queen has reigned longer than my life … now that’s a Wow!
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Happy 60th birthday, Frank. Hope you had a great one, I used to be quite good at hitting a treble bulls eye, but haven’t played darts in many years. 😀
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Paradise,
Wow …. a dart thrower! Maybe that will spark a post about your post prowess. Many thanks for the birthday wishes!
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Happy birthday,neighbor! I should bring you some Skyline!!
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Ginger,
Hmmmm …. we almost had to go to Skyline last night as my first two choices for dinner were closed … but Grand Finale took us. Thanks for the greeting.
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Ahh, I saved this post because I wanted time to nerd out over all the wonderful info about the number 60, and some quiet time to listen to one of my favorite happy birthday songs– and then just realized that meant I missed your birthday! Shame on me! Happy Birthday, Frank!!! 😀
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Rarasaur,
Glad this post was able to appeal to your nerd side! 😉 …. and then I sneaked my birthday in at the end. For a guy who hasn’t disclosed his birthday in the 4+ years of this blog, I loved the surprise party on the readers! Thanks for the greeting.
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birthday? 60? no way. since you mentioned “60 minutes,” did you know that it’s the only television show to ever NOT have a theme song?
you mentioned 60 minutes in a degree. is it not also 60 seconds in a minute?
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Rich,
Interesting, but I consider the tic tic tic tic a theme song …. not a tune for the radio, but still the theme song. 😉 Yes, 60 seconds are in a minute, but, I stuck to only 60 factoids for this post. …. and yes, Sunday was my 60th birthday. 🙂
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I have been waiting to use icosidodecahedron, sexagesimal and Neodymium all in one sentence.
I’m still waiting but consider this: In a sexagesimal number system, you are only one year old.
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Mudge,
There’s your creative writing challenge!
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Q: What do you call 60 candles on a birthday cake?
A: A fire hazard.
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Very nice! Fortunately, I had no candles on mine!
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I’m sorry I’m late, but Happy Birthday!
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Hood,
No problem as I always appreciate greetings! Many thanks!
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who would have guessed that sixty had so many permutations. Was Adam really sixty cubits long? Isn’t that a LOT?
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Beautiful,
According to one calculation, that would be 7.6 ft! Meanwhile, I could have posted more about 60, but kept it to 60 for the celebration. Hope you learned something.
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It looks like I just missed your birthday. That’s okay, because you just missed mine too. I turned 56 on March 5. It wasn’t that happy. Too soon after the loss of the two people who made it happen.
Hope your day was happy.
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Christine,
A belated Happy Birthday to you … and tough to celebrate with two recent losses. Interestingly, we had a birthday open house planned, but cancelled it because of a loss of a friend. But, we adjusted and had a good day. Thanks for the greeting.
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I love this, Frank. This is totally engaging – all those facts. The Glorious and Exalted One, I have not ever heard of. How long this took you, I do not know but it is VERY interesting.
Oh, I do love the number 3. Love it! If you did a special on 3s, you’d only need to think of three comment worthy attributes… or 6, or maybe 9.
~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ~
I know I’m late, but I do believe in better than never. Cheers!
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Eyes,
Many thanks for the greeting! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this one. I’ve done other posts like these about numbers. (In the sidebar, see Categories > Numbers). I believe the lost number I’ve done is 17, as I have a tendency to stick to higher numbers. But I will consider one of your requests. 🙂
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