What’s so special about today? It’s a palindrome [Same Forward and Backward]

Boston Globe ^ | 2 January 2010 | Emma Stickgold

[Fractal Trader]

Thoreau never had one during his lifetime. Neither did George Washington nor Albert Einstein. Today in the United States, which uses the month/day/year format for dates, there is a rare chance to celebrate a palindrome date - 01/02/2010 - which reads the same forward as it does backward.

Discuss COMMENTS (40) Jan. 2, 2010, is the second such date out of 36 that occurs this millennium. The first was 10/02/2001.

Aziz Inan, a University of Portland electrical engineering professor, has been studying this phenomenon and speaks with great enthusiasm as he describes the history of palindrome dates.

Before 2001, he excitedly pointed out in an interview yesterday, the most recent was in 1308, since days of the month never exceed 31. The next date comes next year: 11/02/2011.

In much of the rest of the world, today’s date appears as day/month/year, or 02/01/2010. But for inhabitants of these countries, rest assured that there will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate even more than our paltry 36: they will get 60 between 2001 and 3000, Inan says.

“Once you put the day in front of the month, everything changes for the rest of the world,’’ said Inan, who is working on academic papers on the subject.

[oh8eleven]

I was around back then too and still remember this ...

[4yearlurker]

Racecar

[Richard Kimball]

[Jim W N]

Correction:

I'm figuring the last palindrome of last millennium:

• 08/31/1380

[Fiji Hill]

I graduated from high school on one of rare play dough days when the number is the same when viewed upside down: 1961

You'll have to wait until 6009 to do that again.

[XEHRpa]

A man, a plan, a canal: Panama.

[peteram]

Race Car backwards is....Race Car

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I remember that!!

[dr_lew]

This made the cover of MAD magazine, IIRC. Last upside-down year ‘til 6009 !

[fish hawk]

Doc,note,I dissent.A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.

[dr_lew]

Geez. You gotta move fast around here!

[Elixis]

Doesn’t September only have 30 days?

[TriGirl]

When my sister was little we would tease her, “Anna is a palindrome, Anna is a palindrome.” She would cry and run to my Mom and tell her we were teasing her.
We would reply that technically we weren’t teasing her, Anna really is a palindrome. My Mom never thought it was funny.

[j-damn]

Oh boy! Let’s all CELEBRATE. Let’s all get drunk and act like idiots again—quick, to the Hallmark Store!

But srsly, who gives an actual crap? Dates are completely arbitrary.

[Young Werther]

I started reading MAD at Issue 1. when I went off to college in the fall of 1961 I wrapped all my comics and MAD magazines and put them in the attic. I forgot about them till I entered the Air Force and became interested in antiques.

I was stationed in Texas and started collecting kerosene lamps and old furniture. At an collectible fair I saw what old comics and magazines were worth. I returned home on leave with dollar signs in my eyes. Alas Dad had cleaned out the attic while installing new insallation and tossed my books. Darn!

[oh8eleven]

Alas Dad had cleaned out the attic ...
I think that's a common experience for many of our generation.
I grew up in the NYC area when Willie, Mickey and the Duke were roaming their respective center fields. I had shoe boxes filled with their baseball cards.
In 1966 I went off to Parris Island and my card collection went off to the landfill (sigh).

[Jim W N]

Right - I re-figured it to 08/31/1380.

[Southern Partisan]

Only works with a leading zero which are useless anywhere but on forms.

Sex at noon taxes.

Yo, banana boy.

Lager, sir, is regal.

The new O. J. Simpson theme park...DNA Land

Do geese see God?

Adios, Ida.

From “The Ballad of Palindrome” by Riders in the Sky.

[Waco]

1-1-11, 11-1-11 11-11-11, 3 dates that are all ones in 2011, if you drop the 20.

[Southern Partisan]

So, Ida, adios.