My mother passed away in August 1987 at an age that is younger than I am now. Characterized by calm, kindness, and hard-working, my admiration for her has grown over time. With Mother’s Day 2016 upon us, I salute her with a number tribute – 88 – which would be her age on her 2016 birthday later this year.
I don’t have many digital images of her – and the ones that I have are old. I hope to digitize some of the old family pictures and some of my own, but for now, these from 1964 will do. Happy Mother’s Day Mom. We love you, miss you, and we’re doing fine.
In Language
Tetëdhjetë e tetë (Albanian), Åtti åtte (Norwegian), Achtentachtig (Dutch), Ottantotto (Italian), Osamdeset osem (Slovenian), LXXXVIII (Roman numerals) … Feel free to add others!
In Mathematics
88 – a refactorable number, a primitive semiperfect number, an untouchable number, a hexadecagonal number, an Erdős–Woods number, a palindromic number in bases 5 (3235), 10 (8810), 21 (4421), and 43 (2243), and a repdigit in base 10, 21 and 43
88 – Divisible by 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 22, 44, 88
88 – with a square of 7744 but a square root of 9.38083151965
In Chemistry
88 – the atomic number of the element Radium whose neutrally charged atom has 88 protons and 88 electrons
In Biology
Eighty-eights – two genera of butterflies (Diaethria and Callicore) because the markings on their wings look like the number 88
88 – the total number of chromosomes for the woodland hedgehog, a species of banana and coffee, and a species of shrimp
In Astronomy
88 – the number of constellations in the sky as defined by the International Astronomical Union
Messier object M88, is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices
The New General Catalogue object NGC 88, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Phoenix, and a member of Robert’s Quartet
Space Shuttle Mission 88 (STS-88) launched and completed in December, 1998, began the construction of the International Space Station.
88 – the Saros number series of the solar eclipse series which began on 246 October 6 (BC) and ended on 1233 March – a span of 1478.4 years, and containing 83 solar eclipses.
88 – the approximately the number of days it takes Mercury to complete its orbit
In Culture
88 symbolizes fortune and good luck in Chinese culture
88 – shorthand for “love and kisses” in amateur radio
88 – in Japanese, often used to mean “a great many” or “countless” or infinite numbers.
88 – short for “byebye” in short Chinese chat
In Sports
88 – the number of LPGA tournaments won by golfer Kathy Whitworth
Retired numbers
- MLB, NBA, NHL – None
- NFL: Alan Page (Vikings) and JV Cain (Cardinals)
Red Slot Right Halfback Stay 88 – the play the Cleveland Brown ran that ended a game-winning attempt interception thrown by QB Brian Sipe (4 January 1981 in Cleveland vs. Oakland Raiders)
NASCAR car 88 – In over 1500 races, 74 wins, top 5 (385), top 10 (658) … most commonly driven by Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Buddy Baker, and Ricky Rudd.
88 – the number of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owned by Hendrick Motorsports that is currently driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
In Entertainment
88.0 MHz (FM radio) – stations in Australia (10), Turkey (1), and Bangladesh (1)
88 – the speed (in miles per hour) that the DeLorean automobile must attain in order to travel in time (Back to the Future)
88 Minutes, a 2008 film starring Al Pacino
88 Keys, character in Dick Tracy (1990 film)
88 – the name of a gang in the American film Gridiron Gang (2008)
In Books
Psalm 88
88 Poems – a book of poems by Ernest Hemingway
The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber
In Music
88 – the number of keys on a typical piano (36 black and 52 white)
Eighty Eight – a live album by the Christian rock band The 77s
Rocket 88 – a song first recorded at Sam Phillips’ studio in 1951;
Rocket 88 – a 1980s band in the UK named after the song above
Symphony No. 88 by Joseph Haydn
88 Basie Street – A Grammy Award winning album by Count Basie
88-Keys – American record producer and rapper born as Charles Misodi Njapa
88 Lines About 44 Women by The Nails
88 – by the Sum 41, Apartment 26, Level 43, The Cool Kids, and LM.C
In History
88 – the number of Australians killed in the 2002 Bali bombings
Pope Gabriel V of Alexandria – the 88th Roman Catholic Pope
Year 88 (LXXXVIII)
- a leap year starting on Tuesday
- Egyptians erected two obelisks in front of the Temple of Isis to honour of emperor Domitian.
- The First Dacian War ends
- Chinese Emperor Han Zhangdi dies at age 31
- Pope Clement I succeeds Pope Anacletus I as the fourth pope.
Year 88 BC
- Berber calendar year 863, Buddhist calendar year 457, Korean calendar year 2246
- The Social War ends with the Romans defeating the Italian allies
- First Civil War in Rome, between Marius and Sulla
- King Mithridates VI of Pontus invades Greece.
In Geography
Interstate 88 in Illinois and New York are not contiguous with each other
Ohio State Route 88 – To the best of my knowledge, I have never travelled this road
88th meridian west crosses land in Canada, USA, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador
88th meridian east crosses land in Russia, Mongolia, China, Nepal, and India
In Miscellaneous
88 – a popular ice cream bar manufactured by GB Glace
88 – a model number of an Oldsmobile
the Crazy 88 the name of O-Ren Ishii’s Army in Kill Bill
88 – the ISBN Group Identifier for books published in Italy and Switzerland
Detachment 88 – an anti-terrorist police squad in Indonesia called “Detachment 88”
The Group of 88 – 88 professors at Duke University who signed a controversial advertisement published after a woman falsely claimed to have been raped by members of Duke’s lacrosse team
The Cambridge Z88 – a portable computer in 1988
88 – slang for “what” in the US Navy
Movement 88 – a political party in Armenia
Happy Mother’s Day to all readers who are mothers and to all your mothers.
Embed from Getty Images
very sweet…thnq for sharing this post! 🙂 God bless you dear.
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Ruby,
Welcome first-time commenter. I like gathering the info about numbers that’s more than anyone wants to know.
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How lucky you are to have such wonderful memories of your mother.
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Debra,
Thanks … and the scenery is close to you. 🙂
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So she was only in her 50s? That’s no age! Wonderful pictures though, I scrolled through them several times. She looks like a lady of great composure, that’s the sense I get.
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Vanessa,
She was about a month shy of her 59th birthday … cancer. She was very calm and kind …. from what I recall, much like her mother. Thanks for the kind words!
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Happy Mother’s Day to your mom, Frank. I think she would have loved this tribute! Thanks for the well wishes.
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Amy,
Thank you … and I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow!
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A wonderful tribute to your mom–who died much too young. The photos are wonderful. Enjoy your weekend!
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Merril,
Oh yes … much too young. I noticed it more when I surpassed her age.
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I’m sorry you did not get more time with her.
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Thanks … and I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day tomorrow!
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Thank you! 🙂
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The visual numeral itself…88…looks cross-eyed by the time one gets through the list of relevant facts.
It’s an eerie feeling, indeed, when you yourself pass the age at which your mother died. I have experienced that, and just this year surpassed my father too.
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Cynthia,
I’ll take your words and change it into the cross-eyed trip through the Minutia Marsh. 😉 …. and ah ha … thanks for understanding my eerie feeling.
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Lovely tribute. I’m sure your mom enjoyed it.
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John,
Thanks … but sure wished I digitized photos from 20 years after those.
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We all do.
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Frank, your words about your mother (and photos) are beautiful xx She would be so proud of your writing and kindness you share here in the blogging world
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Christy,
Thank you …. it was fun to put together.
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A nice tribute to your mother. I enjoyed seeing the family photos. All these years playing the piano (well, I haven’t actually played it much in the last decade), and I never realized there were 88 keys. The things I learn from you!
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Carrie,
Now that’s funny about the piano! 🙂 … at least we can laugh about it.
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Life would be far too scary if we couldn’t laugh at ourselves, wouldn’t it? It’s heavy enough as it is.
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Great tribute to your grandmother.
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Kim,
Thanks … but mother.
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Oh sorry my memory is short.
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No problem. 🙂
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It’s probably not an appropriate addition to such a post dedicated to your mother, but 88 is also known as a neo-Nazi symbol, that stands for abbreviated Heil Hitler.
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X,
Correct on all counts … and yes, I intentionally left that factoid off the list.
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I’m so sorry that you lost your mom at such a young age. Thanks for sharing the photos of her. This is the first year I haven’t had to buy a Mother’s Day card, which makes me very sad. As for the number 88, I think you forgot the Bingo call “88….Two fat ladies.” 😀
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Sylvia,
I’m sure your mom is in your heart today. Cheers to warm and happy thoughts. … and thanks for the Bingo addition!
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Yes she is very much in my heart, Frank. Glad you enjoyed the two fat ladies, so to speak. 😆
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Ah, my dear Frank, I’m sure your mom is receiving your wonderful words and smiling proud! 🙂
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Marina,
Thank you … it was a fun post to together.
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Well, you are the master of …Numbers! 😉
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Numbers. Math. Symbolic media, important to both physical reality and philosophy. Human age, significantly. Sometimes I can hardly believe I am as old as I am, I wake up marveling and memories scroll. If it were not for numbers, would it be the same? I think not. Ten thousand years ago, nobody measured beyond one, two or three. We know this from the study of primitive societies. A person was “young” or “old”, but not 88, or 44 or 22. Have we gained or lost in our cultural obsession with measurement?
Life is what happens while you’re making plans. Or while counting.
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Jim,
A wonderful philosophical look at numbers over time. Thanks for sharing!
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Your post led me to enjoy reading about the Oldsmobile 88 car which was produced and sold from 1949 until 1999.
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Tim,
The Olds 88 was a fine vehicle.
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What a fun & bittersweet post – thanks much for introducing us to your elegant mother.
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Daal,
Thank you for the kind thoughts. … and you can tell I like trivial information.
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Oh, this is such a wonderful and informative tribute to your mom! I love your style, Frank!
My mom is going to be 83 in several weeks. She’s both my mom and dad because my dad died when I was quite young and she never remarried. I treasure her, quirks and all! All these tributes I’ve been reading make me really miss her. I left her on the East Coast when I moved to the West Coast.
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Lorna,
Wow … that aspect of moving to the west coast must have been difficult. Thanks for sharing!!!!
Glad you enjoyed this odd way of a tribute. As a whole, my posting style is more about writing with my mind instead of my heart … so it fits.
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Mom taught you to wonder and explore. Wise woman. Little things count.
Enjoyed the 88’s in the culture section.
Cheers for moms
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Mouse,
Glad you enjoyed various aspects of my tribute with trivia.
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Its a beautiful tribute to your mom. She’s always present in your heart and looking over you 🙂
And that’s a very fascinating collection of numbers you put together 🙂
Thank you for sharing!!
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Mithai,
She passed away in Aug 1987, thus never visiting our new home of Apr 1987 … (she lived 3 hours away) … and I always said that was the first place she visited. Meanwhile, glad you enjoyed my trip with trivia.
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My maternal grandfather too passed away 16 years ago before he could shift into the new house that was under construction at that time. But we still feel his presence in that house.
I’m sure your mother is with you in the same place.
It was truly a very well researched article.
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Thanks for sharing!
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In keeping with your 88 theme, I know a set of triplets born on 8/8/88. My oldest grandson was born on 8/8, and the younger grandson on the older grandson’s birthday. The younger one has a birthdate of 8/9 though because he lives in Australia so when it was 8/8 here it was 8/9 there.
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LB,
Awesome connections to the theme !
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