11/11/11

Come 11 seconds, 11 minutes and 11 hours into tomorrow and clocks (digital, of course) will tick their way through a palindrome - 11:11 on 11/11/11.

Here are 11 facts you need to know about 11/11/11

1) November 11 is the 315th day of the year.

2) There are 50 days remaining until the end of the year.

3) As well as Remembrance Day, the date 11/11/11 is also known as Independence Day in Poland, commemorating the anniversary of the country's assumption of independent statehood in 1918.

4) In China, November 11th is Singles Day - literally translating as "bare sticks holiday", a Hallmark holiday for people living the single life.

5) In Japan however, November 11th is even more gimmicked, known as Pocky Day and Pretz Day. 'Pocky' is a biscuit stick coated with chocolate named after the sound made when it is bitten, while 'Pretz' is also stick-shaped and similar to a pretzel.

6) Notable births on November 11th include: novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821), actor Robert Ryan (1909), actor Stanley Tucci (1960), actress Demi Moore (1962), actress Calista Flockhart (1964), Leonardo DiCaprio (1974) and reality TV star Chanelle Hayes (1987).

7) Conversely, those having a very bad day indeed include Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1855), Australian outlaw Ned Kelly (1880) and Palestinian leader and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize Yasser Arafat (2004), who all died on November 11th.

8) The General Synod of the Church of England voted to allow women to become priests on November 11th in 1992.

9) On November 11th in 1999, Parliamentary history was made as the House of Lords Act was given Royal Assent, restricting membership of the British House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage.

10) A rough day for those that suffer from aibohphobia, though. As the jokey term for the irrational fear of palindromes, the word itself is of course a palindrome.

11) Fanciful Spinal Tap fans have launched a campaign for the day to be recognised as Nigel Tufnel Day, in tribute to comedy film’s lead guitarist who cluelessly – and hilariously – boasted about his amp’s capacity to ‘go up to eleven’.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-world/2011/11/10/11-11-11-11-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-11th-november-2011-115875-23552714/#ixzz1dVAzffdq




Read More