1. Home
  2. News & Issues
  3. Urban Legends
photo of David Emery

David Emery's Urban Legends Blog

By David Emery, About.com Guide to Urban Legends since 1997

12:34:56 07/08/09

Wednesday July 8, 2009
Like me, you probably slept through both of this morning's "once-in-a-lifetime events," namely:
  1. the clock striking 12:34:56 on 07/08/09;
  2. the clock striking 04:05:06 on 07/08/09.
Lest you think it was no big deal, reporters across the country scrounged up numerologists to explain the deep significance of it all.

"It's a good day to make money and have good health," said Betsy Carlson in the Palm Springs Desert Sun.

"I like to think every day is a good day to play the lottery," said "intuitive counselor" Barbara Evans in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Williams College mathemetician Edward Burger was having none of it. "It's a very silly thing," he told the San Antonio Express-News. Folks in countries like England, where today's date is 08/07/09, must have been inclined to agree.

Read more:
Rare Time/Date Alignment Could Mean Opportunities
Today's Date Provides Another 'Once in a Lifetime' Event
No Great Meaning in Today's Numbers
The Date Is Rare, in Case You Care

Comments

July 8, 2009 at 4:34 pm
(1) Just Jason says:

It’s also the punchline to a bad joke.

Why was six afraid of seven?

Seven eight nine.

Har Har!

August 6, 2009 at 4:53 pm
(2) MMMMMM says:

Funnily enough the Dow Jones 30 put in a low on that day and has melted up ever since. Will it peak on the UKs turn tomorrow , the real 07/08/09 ;-)

August 6, 2009 at 10:29 pm
(3) maddog. says:

this is so cool, OMG lets go to school. our school is doing a shout out to our school about this one-in-a-lifetime-event. we’re awesome, actually we’re a hole, our schools a hole. reppin the hole, im serious, our school is a hole, not literally a hole, but it might aswell be, i’d like to dig a hole, to china.. care to join me or i could burry something, my dogs bone, shes so fat but cute. i like socks they keep my feet warm. so does holldog, shes a mad dog. did i mention i have the swine, not the swine i have a swine. a pig called swine he also is fat like my dog ilove them both, they wear socks to keep their hoofs and paws warm. toodles i like noodles.

August 7, 2009 at 6:30 am
(4) Rapt0r says:

I like how the numerologists just used the easiest way out. “Uh, uh yeah. Itll…itll be a good day! YEAH. GOOD DAYS FOREEVEERR!! …. Ill be in the newspaper, right?”

August 7, 2009 at 6:39 am
(5) Kevin Turvey says:

For the benefit of Edward Burger in England the date is the right way round i.e 07/08/09

August 7, 2009 at 7:16 am
(6) DuCakedHare says:

“Folks in countries like England, where today’s date is 08/07/09, must have been inclined to agree.”

What?

The UK does not use perverse date orders. In English we may all say “August 7th 2009″ but in European tradition the numerical date is still “07/08/09″ (small to big. in geek land the date is normally YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss to keep a strictly logical progression)

As for the symbology of it: there is none. The measure is an arbitrary assignment on a phenomenon of nature, not a phenomenon of nature itself.

August 7, 2009 at 8:50 am
(7) urbanlegends says:

DuCakedHare,

Note the date this article was originally written: JULY 8, 2009.

August 20, 2009 at 10:12 pm
(8) maddog says:

shutup! it was the 7th not the 8th you geek face

October 10, 2009 at 7:35 pm
(9) DuCakedHare says:

Ah yes, urbanlegends – you are right.

I read the article a month later. Mea culpa.

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Explore Urban Legends

About.com Special Features

What is a Recession?

Sure, we're all talking about it, but what, exactly, defines a recession? More >

Weird Breaking News

A daily look at some of the oddest (and dumbest) crimes around. More >

  1. Home
  2. News & Issues
  3. Urban Legends

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.