On 31

This week is a big one is our household because my wife’s last day of work is Thursday. Yep, after 31 years with a major company that is well-known around the world, she’s retiring. To say she’s looking forward to retirement would be an understatement. She worked hard to be a highly valued employee, but she’s ready to move on to the next phase of her life.

Although the week will end with our wedding anniversary, this post is a salute to her retirement – which also means I’m preparing another salute to a different number.

Life will be an adjustment for both of us, but we’ve been a team for a long time – so the new available time should be fun. A tip of the hat to my partner in life – the one I’ve loved for a long time.

In Language
31 – Tridhjetenjë (Albanian), Třicet jedna (Czech), Enogtredive (Danish), Kolmkümmend üks (Estonian), 30 En (Swedish), Tiga puluh (Indonesian), and XXXI (Roman numerals). Do you have others?

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In Mathematics
31 – a natural number, an odd integer that is only divisible by 1 and itself

31 – a third Mersenne prime, the fourth primorial prime, the twin prime of 29. The fourth lucky prime, the 11th supersingular prime, a centered triangular number, a centered decagonal number, the lowest prime centered pentagonal number, the lowest possible Steiner topology for Steiner trees with 4 terminals, a repdigit in base 2 and base 5

In Chemistry
The atomic number of gallium – so a single neutrally charged atom of gallium has 31 protons and 31 electrons

In Biology
31 – the number of pairs of spinal nerves in humans

31 – the number of pairs of chromosomes in donkeys, gypsy moths, and giraffes

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In Astronomy
Messier object M31 is in the constellation Andromeda and is readily visible to the naked eye in a modestly dark sky.

The New General Catalogue object NGC 31, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Phoenix

31 Orionis is a star in the constellation Orion – 31 Leonis is a star in the constellation Leo – and many more 31s throughout the galaxy

In Geography
31st parallel north crosses land of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Mexico, and the United States

31st parallel south crosses land of South Africa, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil,

31st meridian east crosses land of Norway, Russia, Finland, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, and Swaziland

31st meridian west only crosses land in Greenland

31st Street in New York City begins at the West Side Yard, and ends at Second Avenue at Kips Bay Towers and NYU Medical Center

Chicago as a 31st Street Beach

Virginia Beach’s 31st Street Park has an outdoor stage for movies, concerts, and shows

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In History
Papyrus 31, an early copy of the New Testament in Greek, dates back to 7th century

31st US President was Herbert Hoover

31st Congress met 1849-1851 during presidential terms of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore

Federalist No. 31, an essay by Alexander Hamilton (pseudonym Publius), is the second of seven essays on taxation

Year 31 CE
A common year starting on Monday

Berber calendar year 981, Assyrian calendar year 4781, Coptic calendar year −253 – −252
A possible year for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Year 31 BC
Either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday or Wednesday

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian becomes Roman Consul for the third time

Roman Civil War: Battle of Actium: Off the western coast of Greece, Octavian Caesar defeats the naval forces under Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII

The fortress Masada completed in the Judean Desert

By some scholars, the Hellenistic period ends

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In Sports
In Super Bowl XXXI, the Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 on January 26, 1997 at the Superdome in New Orleans, and Desmond Howard won the MVP

31 – a common number worn by Ice hockey goalies

Retired #31 jerseys

• (MLB) Dave Winfield (Padres), Ferguson Jenkins (Cubs), Greg Maddux (Cubs and Braves), Mike Piazza (Mets)
• (NBA) Cedric Maxwell (Celtics), Reggie Miller (Pacers)
• (NHL) Grant Fuhr (Oilers), Billy Smith (Islanders)
• (NFL) William Andrews (Falcons), Jim Taylor (Saints)

In 1,071 NASCAR races, car #31 has won 7 times: Jeff Burton (4) and Robby Gordon (3) – plus finished in the top 5 87 times

In Entertainment
Seinfeld episode #31 (season 3) “The Pez Dispenser” first aired 15 January 1992

31 – an American independent horror film (2016) written and directed by Rob Zombie

31 – a card game

31 – a type of game played on a backgammon board

31 Songs, a book by Nick Hornby

Read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 31

Symphony No. 31: Paris by Mozart

Symphony No. 31 by Joseph Haydn is also known as Hornsignal

Ludwig van Beethoven composed Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Opus 31 No. 1 and Piano Sonata No. 16 in D Minor, Opus 31 No. 2 – the latter is also known as The Tempest (click to hear the Allegreto)

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In Business
31 – the number of flavors of Baskin-Robbins ice cream; which is called 31 Ice Cream in Japan

31st Street Studios in Pittsburgh offers studio production and management

31 Gifts (actually Thirty-One Gifts) is a party and gift consultant organization

Miscellaneous
The number of days in the months January, March, May, July, August, October and December

The code for international direct-dial phone calls to the Netherlands

There are 31 letters in the Cyrillic alphabet

In French the expression trente et un (31) refers to someone who is well dressed

31 years is roughly a billion seconds

31 (XXXI): a women’s honorary at The University of Alabama

31-bit integers – a component of computer architecture introduced in 1983 for mainframes

Music has a 31-tone equal temperament tuning system

J31 – the first jet engine produced in quantity in the United States (by GE)