54 Things About 54

As has been my birthday tradition for years now, here are 54 bits of trivia and loosely relevant knowledge about the number "54" (or in some cases, the numbers 5 and 4), mostly from the first few pages of web search and Wikipedia search results, posted in one continuous frenzy after work to respond to the first 54 public birthday posts to my Facebook profile (everyone else justs gets a like). 

By Studio 49 - This vector image was created by converting the Encapsulated PostScript file available at Brands of the World (view • download) 

Reminder: After I gather all the items into a spreadsheet, I randomize the list and then post them in order, so any associations with the poster are strictly coincidental.

1. Part 54 of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's regulations covers the Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants 
2. Fox 54 is the branding for WZDX, the Fox affiliate in Huntsville, Alabama
3. 54 Below is a nonprofit cabaret supper club at 254 W. 54th St. in New York City
4. My height in English units is 5'4"
5. In 2026, The Price Is Right is in its 54th season
6. The B-54 was the Boeing Ultrafortress strategic bomber. The prototype was canceled in 1949 and never flew
7. A standard deck of cards has 54 cards: 52 playing cards and 2 jokers
8. The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engine US military transport plane used during the Berlin Airlift
9. As a number, 54 is oddly even, natural, regular, semiperfect, and abundant
10. M54 is a bus route in Maryland that runs between the Greencastle Park & Ride and Silver Spring Station, mostly along Colesville Road and Old Columbia Pike
11. 54 Reasons is an Australian childrens' rights organization
12. The international calling code number for Argentina is 54 
13. 2026 was the 54th running of the Iditarod, with the winner finishing in 9d 7h 32m 51s
14. "54-40 or Fight" was the slogan of American expansionists who wanted the northern border of Oregon above the 54th parallel 
15. The USS Curtis Wilbur is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer with hull number DDG-54
16. 54 Alexandra is a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1858 and named after explorer Alexander von Humboldt
17. 54th Street is a restaurant chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri
18. 54 Ultra is a solo project by musician JohnAnthony 
19. 54 is a 1998 drama centered around NYCs Studio 54 nightclub starring Ryan Philippe
20. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was the unit featured in the movie Glory
21. The landmark case Brown vs. Board of Education was decided May 17, 1954
22. American Psychological Association Division 54 is the Society of Pediatric Psychology
23. M-54 is a north-south highway in Michigan that's 30 miles long and bypasses Flint 
24. Federalist #54, pubilshed in 1788, was written by James Madison, discusses the apportioning of representatives amont the states, and defends the Three-Fifths Compromise
25. The AIM-54 Phoenix missile was used on F-14 fighters by the US Navy (and by the Iranian Air Force until very, very recently)
26. The M54 is a 6x6 US military truck with a 5-ton (offroad) capacity
27. Four Big Mama's & Papa's Pizzeria locations in Southern California offer the Giant Sicilian Pizza, which is 54"x54", has 200 square slices, and starts at $399.99 
28. 54 is a Vietnamese bar/restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia 
29. Police 10 codes vary, but 10-54 might mean Livestock on Highway; Hit and Run Accident; Man Molesting Children; or Possible Body
30. The Tatra 54 was a sedan launched by Czech car company Tatra in 1931 
31. Psalm 54 is a prayer for deliverance from enemies 
32. The T-54 is a Soviet tank, part of the T-54/55 tank series that's the most-produced tank in history
33. Studio 54 was an infamous New York City nightclub that lasted from 1977–1980. It's a theater now 
34. Breville espresso machines use 54mm (or 58mm) portafilter baskets 
35. US Code Title 54 covers the National Park Service and Related Programs 
36. 54 in binary (base 2) is 110110
37. Messier 54 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius, outside the Milky Way Galaxy
38. US Army Field Manual FM 34-54 is about Technical Intelligence
39. Roman Emperor Claudius died in CE 54
40. Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and Chicago Bulls center Horace Grant each wore number 54 
41. Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at age 54
42. 54 in Morse Code is ..... ....-
43. STS-54 was a 1993 mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour that lasted just under 6 days and deployed a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 
44. USPS Pub 54 is Notice of Bomb Threat. There's no public version of this publication
45. 54hz is a bass tone, but I don't think my speakers can play it 
46. The reign of Roman Emperor Nero began in CE 54 
47. IRS Publication 54 is the Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad 
48. The Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo is the primary anti-submarine warfare weapon used by U.S. Navy surface ships, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, built by Raytheon 
49. Xenon is the element with atomic number 54
50. The 54th day of the year is February 23
51. R54 is the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) diagnostic code for "Age-related physical debility" [physical weakness] 
52. If you have an oblong red pill with the imprint M54, it's Methylphenidate Hydrochloride Extended-Release 54 mg, a stimulant
53. The 54th US Congress met from March 4, 1895, to March 4, 1897, during the last two years of Grover Cleveland's second presidency 
54. Article 54 of the UN Charter simply says, "The Security Council shall at all times be kept fully informed of activities undertaken or in contemplation under regional arrangements or by regional agencies for the maintenance of international peace and security." 

53 Items About 53

Once again, it is my birthday. 53, for those counting. And once again, I accumulated 53 bits of trivia, knowledge, and random occurrences involving the number 53, then used them to respond to the first 53 birthday greetings on my Facebook. (All in a batch, which I posted only after work, because of *gestures* all this. Also, Facebook strips out formatting and hyperlinks when you paste comments, which is annoying when you're doing something like this.) 

53 icon used under license CC BY-SA 4.0 by user T2ng

Methodology: As in previous years, I found 53 bits of data from Wikipedia and assorted Google searches, then used Google Sheets to randomize the list. So any associations with the poster are strictly coincidental (unlike when I first started to do this, maybe).

I do note, though, that just like last year's entry, this list ends with a bit of fluff about an astronomical object.

1. Super Bowl LIII (53) was February 3, 2019. The Patriots beat the Rams 13-3.
2. The AMG E 53 HYBRID Sedan is a 4-door, plug-in hybrid with an MSRP of $88,000.
3. Title 53 of the US Code is reserved for future use.
4. 53 is a studio album by French jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson, available from the Blue Note label.
5. 53 by the Sea is a restaurant in Honolulu, Hawaii. Its dress code is business casual.
6. A round, white pill with the imprint F 53 is prescription antidepressant Escitalopram Oxalate 5 mg.
7. This is skibidi toilet 53; I don't claim to understand it, but it doesn't seem any weirder than any meme videos of the 90s or 2000s. I just need to figure out the watching order.
8. Route 53 is an Amazon Domain Name Service (DNS) web service.
9. The Lycoming T53 is a turboshaft engine used on helicopters and (as a turboprop) fixed-wing aircraft since the 1950s.
10. The Zoeller M53 is a 3/10 HP sump pump with a 25-foot cord.
11. F53 is the FAA location identifier (LID) for the Franklin County Airport in northeast Texas.
12. Darien EMS-Post 53 is a volunteer ambulance service that serves Darien, Connecticut and is composed of high school students.
13. T53 is a category in wheelchair athletics where competitors have full use of their arms but limited or no trunk function.
14. Fifty-three is the 16th prime number.
15. The Q-53 is a US Army ground-based radar system made by Lockheed Martin.
16. Area 53 is an indoor adventure park (paintball, ropes course, etc) with two New York City locations.
17. 53 in Morse Code is ..... ...--
18. R53 is the model number for the Mini Hatch.
19. The X-53 was a research program that was a full-scale proof for active aeroelastic wing control surfaces.
20. In hexadecimal, 53 is 35, that is, the same characters used in the decimal representation, but reversed.
21. COUP 53 is a documentary about the 1953 Iranian Coup
22. P53 is a gene responsible for a protein important in suppressing certain cancers in humans.
23. 53 is the telephone country code for Cuba.
24. 53 is the atomic number for iodine.
25. Pope John 1 was the 53rd Catholic pope, from 523–526.
26. 53 in binary is 110101.
27. Messier 53 (also known as M53 or NGC 5024) is a globular cluster in the Coma Berenices constellation. It is considered a metal-poor cluster.
28. DHCPv4 option 53 is the DHCP message type option that declares whether a particular message is a discovery, request, or another message type.
29. R53 was the pennant number for the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Undaunted, sunk for target practice in 1978.
30. ASCII code 53 is the number 5.
31. 53 is a sexy prime (a prime number 6 away from another prime) with both 47 and 59
32. The M53 is a Yugoslav copy of the German MG42 machine gun.
33. "Fifty Three" is the third track on the album Arch Stanton by instrumental stoner rock band Karma to Burn.
34. FiftyThree, Inc. was an American technology company that made products for Apple, including the Paper iPad app and Pencil digital stylus.
35. The Type 53 is a licensed, carbine-style Chinese version of the Mosin-Nagant rifle
36. X53 is a low alloy carburizing steel melted as VIM + VAR.
37. Division 53 is the American Psychological Association's Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
38. The F-53 is a Ford motorhome chassis.
39. The Chevrolet Corvette was first produced in 1953.
40. The 53rd District Court in Livingston County, Michigan accepts in-person appearances on Felony, Misdemeanor, and Civil Infraction warrant matters Monday through Friday, between 9:00–9:30 am.
41. 53 in roman numerals is LIII.
42. F-53 is an SAP Transaction Code for manual payments.
43. The 53rd US Congress was in session March 4, 1893, to March 4, 1895, during the first two years of Grover Cleveland's second presidency, with Democrats controlling both the House and Senate.
44. The M53 motorway is 18.9 miles (30.4 km) long on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It is also referred to as the Mid Wirral Motorway.
45. "How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days" is a recent article from The Atlantic [paywall]
46. Iditarod 53 started March 3, 2025 in Fairbanks, Alaska (instead of Willow) due to lack of snow, and tied for the smallest number of mushers (33).
47. R53 Suspension is a division of British engineering company R53; they make suspensions for rally cars.
48. Liberty Public School District 53 is in Liberty, Missouri and has 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, two high schools, an alternative secondary school, and an early childhood center.
49. The F.53 was the export version of the English Electric Lightning, a British fighter interceptor aircraft in service from the 1960s–80s.
50. 53.com is the domain for the Fifth Third Bank, which operates in 11 US states. The name comes from the 1908 merger of Cincinnati's Fifth National Bank and Third National Bank.
51. Article 53 of the UN Charter is about the use of regional arrangements or agencies in Security Council enforcement actions.
52. 53 is a Chinese restaurant in NYC located at 53 W. 53rd street (between 5th & 6th Ave)
53. 53 Kalypso is a large and very dark main belt asteroid that was discovered by German astronomer Robert Luther on April 4, 1858. 

Lastly, Wednesday birthdays are kind of lame.

52 Bits of Trivia for Age 52

As is my wont, here are the 52 pieces of trivia that I used to respond to Facebook birthday well wishers (granted, mostly from wikipedia and first pages of Google search results, but still). Also, this year, I compiled the list, then randomized the posting order of things in Google sheets, so I did not/was not able to send subtle messages to posters with my chosen response:

1. Fort52 sells watercolor-painted playing cards and other paper goods. They're in Fort Worth.
2. "52 hertz is equivalent to the musical note G#1, which is the 12th lowest key on a conventional 88-key piano keyboard; or, the 4th finger position on the lowest string (E1) of a double bass."
3. The B-52s are also an iconic US band.
4. 52 is a series of 4 albums totalling 52 songs writing by American country singer Kristian Bush.
5. The Bell XP-52 was a WWII fighter aircraft design project with a twin boom tail and pusher propellers.
6. US Route 52 goes from South Carolina to North Dakota, about 2,072 miles.
7. The Q52 is a superyacht tender built by Dutch company Qnautic.
8. 52 in Morse code is ….. ..--- (I actually knew this without having to look it up)
9. Social 52 is a restaurant and bar in Richmond, Virginia.
10. The atomic number of Tellurium is 52.
11. 52 is a DC Comics limited series, published weekly in 2006 for a year.
12. F52 is the ICD-10_CM code for "Sexual dysfunction not due to a substance or known physiological condition"
13. The p52 protein dimerizes with RelB to translocate into the nucleus, where it regulates gene transcription.
14. 52 factorial (52*51*50…*1) is about 8.0658e67. That link has a lot of trivia about that.
15. 52 in binary is 110100.
16. Seasons 52 is a US restaurant and wine bar chain.
17. Pub 52 is the US Postal Service's publication on Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (I actually know a little about this one.)
18. 52 is not a prime number. The factors of 52 are 1, 2, 4, 13, 26, and 52.
19. Title 52 of the US Code codifies voting and election laws.
20. A B-52 cocktail is "a layered shot composed of coffee liqueur (Kahlúa), Irish cream (Baileys Irish Cream), and Grand Marnier (in later versions replaced with triple sec or Cointreau)"
21. 52 is the international direct dial code for Mexico.
22. B52 is another name for The Sicilian Defence chess opening?
23. Pliny the Elder wrote his account of the Roman Empire's German wars in AD [CE] 52.
24. D52 is a school district in Washington, Illinois.
25. 52 American hostages were held in the Iran hostage crisis.
26. A modern piano has 52 white keys.
27. The New 52 was DC Comics' lineup revamp in 2011.
28. The 52nd day of the year is February 21.
29. Article 52 of the Geneva Conventions covers the general protection of civilian objects.
30. J52 was the hull number of the HMS Guysborough, a British Royal Navy minesweeper loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy and sunk by a U-boat in 1945.
31. 1952 was a leap year that started on Tuesday.
32. The Lenovo ThinkPad P52 was a laptop.
33. Messier 52 or M52, also known as NGC 7654 or the Scorpion Cluster, is an open cluster of stars in the highly northern constellation of Cassiopeia.
34. Food52 is a food website.
35. There are 52 cards in a standard deck of playing cards.
36. 52 is the car number of retired NASCAR driver Jimmy Means.
37. Clay Matthews wore 52 for the Green Bay Packers.
38. The Siemens and Halske T52 is a WWII German cipher machine and teleprinter, codenamed Sturgeon by the British.
39. 52 is a song by British band The Royston Club (it's not bad)
40. The movie 52 Pick-Up starred Roy Scheider and Ann Margaret.
41. 52 is an untouchable number (a math term for "a positive integer that cannot be expressed as the sum of all the proper divisors of any positive integer.")
42. NFPA 52 is the National Fire Protection Association's Vehicular Natural Gas Fuel Systems Code
43. The Liga Privada T52 is a cigar by tobacco company Drew Estate and made in Nicaragua.
44. A beehive hairdo is also (apparently) nicknamed a B-52.
45. WMATA's Route 52 Metrobus runs between L'Enfant Plaza Station and 14th and Colorado.
46. 52 Blue is a whale that calls at the "unusual">frequency of 52 hertz, and has been called the "world's loneliest whale."
47. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an iconic US bomber.
48. There are, of course, 52 weeks in a year.
49. A pill with imprint LILLY J52 is a white, round pill, Diethylstilbestrol 1 MG.
50. Part 52 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations deals with Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses.52 was some sort of video series about a group trying to make 52 short films in 2013.
51. 52 was some sort of video series about a group trying to make 52 short films in 2013.
52. NGC 52 (PGC 978) is an edge-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus. It was discovered on September 18, 1784, by William Herschel. He described it as "very faint, small, extended."

#51FactsAbout51: The Return of Birthday Factoids

Today's my 51st birthday. (Which doesn't seem right, but the math checks out.) A few years ago, I started responding to Facebook birthday well-wishers with trivia based on my new age, though I paused when the pandemic hit, when celebrating birthdays just seemed different.

51. Includes newer glasses.

 

Well, after a morning of french toast, hash browns, an age-appropriate level of fiber, and 80s music, here are the 51 items I posted about the number 51 (clearly, mostly taken from Wikipedia and the first few pages of Google search results):

 

 #51FactsAbout51

1. 51 is the product of 3 and 17 (both prime numbers)
2. 51 in binary is 110011
3. "Route 51" is a Wisconsin Public Radio show focusing on issues in the north-central Wisconsin area
   
4. 51 in Morse Code is ..... .-----
5. 51 in Roman numberals is LI
6. 51 is the title of a 2011 sci-fi horror movie
7. 51 is the atomic number of antimony
8. 51% is the minimum percentage (rounded up) needed for a majority
9. The USS Arleigh Burke is DDG-51, the lead ship of its class of guided-missile destroyers 
10. 51 is the country dialing code for Peru
11. 51% a men's clothing brand in Seoul, South Korea)
    
12. is the number of laps in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
13. 51 is the second solo mixtape by rapper Kool A.D., formerly of the rap group Das Racist. 
14. Station 51 is the fire station featured in the 1970s television series Emergency! 
15. The number of essays Alexander Hamilton wrote as part of The Federalist Papers defending the US constitution
16. The TV show The Price Is Right is currently in its 51st season
17. The Mustang World War II fighter aircraft is the P-51.
    
18. "Fifty-One" is a fourth season episode of Breaking Bad where Walter celebrates his 51st birthday
19. A 51% attack is when a party gains control of a majority of a network blockchain [this is a massive oversimplification, don't come at me cryptobros]
    
20. The 51st day of the year is February 20
21. Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) was the longest-serving US Senator at 51 years, 5 months, and 26 days 
22. 51 degrees Fahrenheit is 10.56 degrees Celcius (and 283.706 Kelvin)
23. IRS Publication 51 is the Agricultural Employer's Tax Guide 
24. Title 51 of the United States Code (51 U.S.C.) is entitled "National and Commercial Space Programs"
    
25. Area 51 is a US government facility that's supposed to house secret military (and even alien) technology
26. 51 is the number of Doc Hudson in the animated movie Cars (which I've never seen)
27. Photo 51 is an X-ray image of key importance in elucidating the structure of DNA in the 1950s 
28. The 2023 Iditarod was the race's 51st running
29. Pier 51 in New York City's Hudson River Park features a playground 
30. Randy Johnson's number 51 was retired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015.
31. The Chicago Bears' Dick Butkus wore 51.
    
32. Emperor Cheng of Han was born in 51 BC 
33. The 51st US Congress ran from 1889-1891 and saw the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act 
34. 51 is Ichiro Suzuki's number with the Seattle Mariners
    
35. The Wikipedia article for Ichiro Suzuki is available in 51 languages
    
36. Telemundo 51 is a Miami-area TV station
37. VFD Fire Station 51 is a volunteer fire station in Visalia, CA 
38. The Whirlpool Galaxy is known as Messier 51a and M51a
    
39. The M51 SLBM is a French submarine-launched ballistic missile 
40. The M51 is a Samsung Galaxy phone released in 2020 
41. The M51 is an M4 tank variant known as the Super Sherman 
42. The M51 field jacket is an iconic US olive drab military jacket from 1951 
43. Cachaca 51 is a Brazilian rum known for its mellow flavor and floral, fruity aromatic notes.
44. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Bus 51 route runs from Reservoir Station to Forest Hills Station 
45. Article 51 of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) specifies Supervisory Authority 
46. The 51 for 51 campaign is a DC statehood effort
47. Article 51 of the UN Charter is about the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence in attacks against member states.
48. Federalist 51 is an essay by James Madison about checks and balances and separation of powers.
    
49. NAICS code 51 covers information services 
50. Article 51 of the Geneva Convention is about protection of the civilian population 
51. Party 51 is a Canadian political party that wants Quebec to join the United States (wat?)
    

This Is 47: 47ish Facts About the Number 47

I haven't been very present on Facebook lately (not for any principled stance on personal data privacy, I just haven't), but for my birthday, I resumed my practice of responding to Facebook birthday wishes with bits of trivia about the number corresponding to my birthday.

However, because I value my alarmingly rapidly diminishing time, I decided this year to limit it to the first 47 respondents.

As always, the bits of trivia are mostly taken from the wikipedia page for the number 47, and the first 10 or so pages of Google search results, posted with no human judgement, in the order in which they are presented here.

Also, because I was finishing up in a bar, I messed up the count and actually posted 49 items:

1. Agent 47 is the protagonist of the Hitman video games.

2. 47 is the 15th prime number.

3. District Council 47 of AFSCME (the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) represents Administrative, Professional, Technical Employees and first level Supervisors employed by the City of Philadelphia.

4. 47 is a safe prime, or the product of twice another prime number (23) + 1.

5. 47 Ronin was one of the biggest box office bombs of 2013.

6. The atomic number of silver is 47.

7. +47 is the international calling code for Norway.

8. 47 is a favorite number of Pomona College.

9. 47 Metres Down is a 2017 scuba diving thriller starring Matthew Modine and Mandy Moore

10. Pub 47 is a casual neighborhood bar and grill located on Route 47 in Huntley, IL.

11. 47 is a Carol Number, an integer of the form 4^n − 2^n + 1 − 1  (for 47, n=3)

12. In mathematics, 47 is a number representing a bunch of other numerical concepts no one except mathmeticians know, but I will just provide the link and spare you.

13. 47 appears frequently in Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes and beyond (too many to mention, thankfully), due to writer Joe Menosky, a Pomona grad.

14. During the 2012 election, Republican candidate Mitt Romney made a comment claiming that 47 percent of Americans do not pay any income tax.

15. A recent Medium article was entitled, "My Life at 47 Is Back to What It Was Like at 27." While I generally agree with the sentiment (for different reasons), I don't feel it was a great article.

16. Of course, the AK-47 got its name because the prototype for the iconic design was developed in November, 1947.

17. The CH-47 Chinook is an iconic, twin-rotor US military cargo helicopter.

18. The P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II fighter plane.

19. Messier object M47 is a magnitude 4.5 open cluster in the constellation Puppis

20. Japan is divided into 47 prefectures.

21. 47 in Roman numerals is XLVII.

22. Oregon Ballot Measure 47 was passed in 1996 and limits property tax assessments.

23. In binary, 47 is 101111.

24. Nairobi is in Kenya's 47th county

25. There's a 47 Society online. It seems kinda... lame.

26. 47 is "IS" on a touch tone keypad (4 is G-H-I, 7 is P-Q-R-S)

27. U.S. Code: Title 47 deals with Telecommunications

28. 47 is halfway to 94

29. Next47.com is some sort of marketing website run by Siemens.

30. 1947 was the first year of the Cold War.

31. WMDT is a dual ABC/CW+-affiliated television station licensed to Salisbury, Maryland, United States. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on virtual and UHF channel 47 from a transmitter in rural Wicomico County northeast of Mardela Springs.

32. '47 is a clothing brand based in Boston.

33. The MBTA's 47 bus goes from Central Square, Cambridge to Broadway Station.

34. The US is the 47th friendliest travel destination for LGBT travelers.

35. New General Catalogue object NGC 47 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus. (This object is also designated as NGC 58.)

36. The SFMTA 47 Van Ness bus goes from Townsend & 5th St to Powell St & Beach St

37. NYPD's 47th Precinct serves the northern part of the Bronx.

38. Lotto 47 is a Michigan Lottery game.

39. Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 is in Illinois.

40. Here is a Buzzfeed article on 47 Ridiculously Clever Ways To Store Anything And Everything

41. 47 in hexadecimal is 0x2F

42. In Euclid's Elements, Proposition 47 posits, "In right-angled triangles the square on the side opposite the right angle equals the sum of the squares on the sides containing the right angle."

43. The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn are located 47 degrees apart.

44. The Voyager 47 Club is a lounge at the Outrigger Resort in Waikiki

45. AK-47 is also a hybrid strain of marijuana

46. Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort received a 47-month prison sentence for tax and bank fraud related to his work advising Ukrainian politicians.

47. The U.S. version of the Price Is Right is in its 47th season.

Bonus items because I forgot how to count:

47a. 47 is very much closer to 50 than 40

47b. In the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 47 deals with selecting jurors.

This Is 44

I've been dreading my birthday this year, because it meant having to come up with a whole new batch of 44 factoids with which to reply to my Facebook well-wishers.

Sure, the first few dozen are easy; they're straight pulls from Wikipedia. But then things start getting ugly.

This year, I topped out at about 150 factoids:

F-44 is the NATO designation for JP-5 jet fuel

The Q44 is a vital inter-borough transit link, connecting the Bronx and Queens while providing connections to several subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road.

The Z44 Corvette Z06 427 edition was built in 2008.

HMS Lagos (D44) is a 1944 British Royal Navy Battle-class destroyer

The T-44 is a medium tank first produced near the end of the World War II by the Soviet Union.

S44 is the postcode for Bolsover, North East Derbyshire in the UK

The W44 was an American nuclear warhead used on the ASROC tactical anti-submarine missile system. It has a yield of 10 kilotons.

Z44 is an Italian distilled dry gin

Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States, running from Wichita Falls, Texas to St. Louis, Missouri

V44 is a brand of pure super premium wheat-vodka produced by the Bratislava-based company European Spirits and Liquor.

The Robinson R44 is a four-seat light helicopter produced by the Robinson Helicopter Company since 1992.

Papyrus 44 is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

C44 is the chess opening King's Pawn Game

C44 is the FAA code for Toutant Airport in Putnam, Connecticut

The Y44 is an OHV V8, 16 valve, 4 barrel down draught carb engine produced for the Nissan President and since 1975 used electronic fuel injection.

6Q0B44E, sometimes abbreviated to B44E, is a small object, probably an item of space debris, currently orbiting Earth outside the orbit of the Moon.

The Xccelerator X44 is a 4-string electric bass from Carvin Guitars

The M44 was an American-made self-propelled 155mm howitzer

The M44 is a planned motorway in Hungary.

The BMW M44 is a straight-4 dual overhead cam piston engine that was produced from 1996-2001.

The M44 is a carbine variant of the Russian Mosin-Nagant rifle.

The 44th atomic bomb test at the Nevada proving grounds was approximately 25 kilotons and occured on April 15, 1955.

According to Transparency International, Rwanda is ranked 44th on the 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index

Utah is the 44th most obese state in the US, with 21.8% of adults classed as obese.

In the 2016 NCAA tournament, Gonzaga was the 44th overall seed.

44 in Morse Code is ....- ....-

Matthew 22:44 -- "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?"

In the presidential election of 1964, Lyndon Johnson won 44 of the 50 states (plus DC)

Exit 44 on the Garden State Parkway is Pomona Road in Pamona, New Jersey

The Passage Island Lighthouse in Michigan is 44 feet high.

"44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out" is a TV movie about the famous bank robbery in Los Angeles.

44 in binary is 101100

Ivory Snow soap was advertised as being 99 and 44/100% pure

44 stone Public House is a gastropub in Columbia, MO and has live tap cams

In 2015, the Coast Guard rescued a man who was stranded 44 miles off the Jersey shore, and had been treading water for 4 hours.

Dennis the dachshund lost 44 pounds, going from 56 to 12 pounds

"44 Inch Chest" is a 2009 movie; its IMDB summary is "A jealous husband and his friends plot the kidnapping of his wife's lover with the intention of restoring his wounded ego. "

44º Celsius is 111º Fahrenheit (and 44º Fahrenheit is 6.66º Celsius)

44º North Vodka is made in Idaho from Idaho potatoes.

Fire Station 44 in San Diego serves Eastern Mira Mesa and its surrounding areas. Engine 44's district is 6.58 square miles.

Batman #44 was published Dec. 1947/Jan. 1948, and features the Joker.

This year was the running of the 44th Iditarod sled race, won by four-time winner Dallas Seavey.

The 44th episode of Futurama is "The Route of All Evil", where Dwight and Cubert take over Planet Express.

The 44th National Organic Chemistry Symposium occurred June 28-July 2, 2015 at the the University of Maryland, College Park.

The 44th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) was staffed at the onset of the Korean War, June 1950

Eric Idle was the host of the 44th episode of Saturday Night Live, broadcast April 23, 1977.

The 44th Fighter Group is a classic association partnered with the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., as well as a subordinate unit under the 301st Fighter Wing, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas. The unit's mission involves F-22 5th generation aircraft and T-38A Adversary aircraft.

The Royalton hotel in New York is located at 44 West 44th Street.

The 44th Session of the UN General Assembly ran from Sept 19, 1989 to Sept 17, 1990

The weekly e-newsletter of the New York City Bar Association is named the 44th Street eNews. It goes out on Mondays.

Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat major, Opus 44 was composed in 1842:

The FCC's Auction 44 occurred between August 27 and September 18, 2002 for the Lower 700MHz Band.

Title 44 of the South Carolina Code of Laws covers Health.

The Powerball lottery is played in 44 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

The No. 44 Society is a book collectors' club at the University Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

NO-44 was a satellite built by Navy midshipmen launched September 30, 2001 aboard the “Kodiak Star”, a Lockheed-Martin Athena I launch vehicle.

44 Interactive is a digital advertising agency in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Route 44 of the King County (Seattle) Metro system runs from Ballard to Wallingford to UW Station

The winner of Best Original Song at the 44th Academy Awards was the Theme from Shaft.

Earlier in 2016, a man posted a video showing himself learning to juggle from scratch in 3 hours and 44 minutes

The Breitling Chronomat 44 Blacksteel retails for $9,930

In 2015, the world's first 3D printed car was finished in 44 hours

The work time in Brazil is 44 hours per week, usually 8 hours per day and 4 hours on Saturday or 8.8 hours per day.

Italian runner Gianclaudio Marengo was found on a subway 44 hours after starting the New York City marathon.

The Newhouse 44 consists of 44 Syracuse University graduates who are experts in the various facets of the communications industry.

The Chicago Board of Trade North Building is 44 stories.

UTV44 (WJTC) is an independent television station located in Pensacola, Florida, that also serves Mobile, Alabama.

The Twitter handle @44 belongs to Menotti Minutillo

The Ferno Model 44 Rescue Seat is constructed of tough reinforced vinyl that is easy to clean and resists blood and bodily fluids.

The Model 44 Aristocrat is a Manley Aristocrat popcorn popper.

The 44th Army Surgeon General is Maj. Gen. Nadja West, the Army's first black female to hold the rank of lieutenant general.

The John Deere Model 44 is a front end loader.

The IBM System/360 Model 44 was a specialized variation of IBM's System 360 computer architecture designed for scientific and real-time computing and process control.

The Model 44 was announced August 16, 1965 and withdrawn September 24, 1973.

In this year's NCAA tournament, Texas A&M came back from 12 down with 44 seconds to play to beat the Northern Iowa Panthers in double overtime.

PBS and PBS KIDS Receive 44 Daytime Emmy Nominations for the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

Kevin James to Suit Up for Inspirational Football Movie '44'

Psalm 44 begins, "We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago."

U.S. Code: Title 44 is about public printing and documents.

The 44th Annual World Series of Poker was in 2013 at the Rio in Paradise, Nevada.

Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock died at the age of 44.

The 44th day of the year is February 13.

Wyoming became the 44th state on July 10, 1890.

For her 44th birthday, Koko the gorilla received 2 kittens.

The 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference was held in The Woodlands, Texas, March 18-22, 2013.

The Algonquin Hotel, home of the famous Algonquin Round Table, is located at 59 West 44th Street.

The 44th Precinct in New York City contains Yankee Stadium, the Bronx County Building, the Bronx Hall of Justice, the Grand Concourse, Concourse Plaza Mall, Concourse Village and 146,000 residents.

F. Scott Fitzgerald died at the age of 44.

Minneapolis is located at 44°59′N 93°16′W

The 44th parallel north crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.

The 44th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

In the 44th Primetime Emmy Awards, Murphy Brown took Best Comedy.

In the 44th Grammy Awards, Alicia Keys won Best New Artist

The Swiss liqueur Tempus Fugit Liqueur De Violettes is 44 proof

A 1.5 ounce shot is 44 milliliters

After drinking 24 shots in less that 2 hours, Michigan State University Bradley McCue died with a blood alcohol level of .44

In the 44th Academy Awards, The French Connection won Best Picture

Super Bowl XLIV was between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts, Feb. 7, 2010.

Expedition 44 to the International Space Station consisted of Commander Gennady Padalka, Mikhail Kornienko, Scott Kelly, Oleg Kononenko, Kjell Lindgren, Kimiya Yui

Herod Agrippa of Judea died in the year 44.

Julius Caesar was assassinated 44 BC

Billie Holiday died July 17, 1959 at the age of 44.

In the year 44, Boudicca married Prasutagus, king of the British Celtic tribe the Iceni.

Marvin Gaye died at the age of 44, one day shy of his 45th birthday.

In the year 44, the emperor Claudius returns from his British campaign in triumph, the southeast part of Britannia now held by the Roman Empire, but the war will rage for another decade and a half.

In the TV series Lost, Jacob and the Man in Black were born in the year 44 on an island in the South Pacific Ocean.

In the year 44, Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus (that's one guy) and Titus Statilius Taurus become Roman consuls.

The denomination 44 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Year 44 was known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Crispus and Taurus (or, less frequently, year 797 Ab urbe condita).

Municipal Okrug 44 is the former name of Moskovskaya zastava Municipal Okrug in the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia

44 figures prominently in the famous Dirty Harry quote:

"I know what you're thinking: "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

44M Tas Rohamlöveg is a Hungarian tank destroyer design of World War II, derived from the 44M Tas tank

44M Tas is a Hungarian medium/heavy tank design of World War II

In an operation to capture Zulkifli Abdhir and Abdul Basit Usman, 44 of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force died during the Mamasapano clash, they were later dubbed as The Fallen 44 or SAF 44.

Number 44 (Russian: Номер 44) is the Russian localized title for a 2015 American-British mystery thriller film Child 44.

44 is an agent in the American Television series Get Smart. Agent 44 is usually assigned to small, enclosed, unexpected spots to meet Maxwell Smart, agent 86.

There are 44 candles in a box of Hanukkah candles.

Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger features Satan's supposed nephew, whose alternate name in parallel works is "44".

Barack Obama is the 44th President of The United States of America.

Wyoming was the 44th state to join The United States of America.

44 is the largest number for which Wolfram Alpha offers a visual representation.

Forty-Four is the name of a blues song, also known as "44 Blues"

44 is the number of the French department (a region kind of like a state)

Vicks Formula 44 is a cough suppressant

In the song 44 fours by Jay Z, he rhymes the words four, for and fore 44 times. This song is a follow up from the song 22 two's.

+44 is the name of the band including Blink-182 vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

44 is the common name for the .44 Magnum or .44 Special revolver cartridges

44 is a poker game in which each player is dealt four cards down, and four cards are dealt face down on the table in a row. The first three cards on the table are "community" cards and may be used in any player's hand. The fourth card and any card matching it in rank is wild, and can also be used in a hand (each player is guaranteed one wild card). For each of four rounds, one "community" card is flipped up and a round of betting occurs. After the last round, the winner is the person with the highest poker hand.

44 is the name of a mysterious savior of Poland prophesied by the Polish national poet Adam Mickiewicz in his masterpiece dramatic poem Dziady (Forefathers): In scene 5 of act 3, the priest Piotr announces a "reviver of the nation" who is to bring back the lost freedom of Poland, and describes him with these words:

Born from a foreign mother, his blood of ancient heroes,

And his name will be forty and four.

Pennsylvania Route 44 (PA 44) is a long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania

U.S. Route 44 is a highway that runs from New York to Massachusetts

Interstate 44 is a freeway that runs from Texas to Missouri

44 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to the United Kingdom.

44 is the number of a car once driven by Dale Jarrett in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (then known as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series)

44 is the Formula 1 driver number for Lewis Hamilton commencing from the start of the 2014 season.

44 was worn by a number of football legends at Syracuse University, worn most notably by Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, and Rob Konrad. Although the number was officially retired in 2005, the legend of 44 remains an important part of the identity of Syracuse University.

Jeff Mullins wore the #44 during his Duke career. The number was retired in 1994

44 is the retired NBA number for Dan Issel, (Denver Nuggets); Jerry West (L.A. Lakers); Paul Westphal (Phoenix Suns); Sam Lacey (Sacramento Kings); and George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs).

44 is the retired NFL number for Floyd Little (Denver Broncos) and Pete Retzlaff (Philadelphia Eagles)

44 is the retired number for former baseball players Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey and Reggie Jackson; the number is sometimes considered to be a "hitter's number".

44 is the Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on October 1, 1363 BC and ended on March 27, 153. The duration of Saros series 44 was 1514.5 years, and it contained 85 lunar eclipses.

44 is the Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on April 30, 1448 BC and ended on June 7, 168 BC. The duration of Saros series 44 was 1280.1 years, and it contained 72 solar eclipses.

The New General Catalogue object NGC 44 is a double star in the constellation Andromeda

Messier object M44 is a magnitude 4.0 open cluster in the constellation Cancer, also known as the Beehive Cluster

44 is the atomic number of ruthenium.

In decimal notation (base 10), 44 is a palindromic number and a happy number.
   
Given Euler's totient function, φ(44) = 20 and φ(69) = 44.

The aliquot sequence of 44 is (44,40,50,43,1,0).

Since the greatest prime factor of 442 + 1 = 1937 is 149 and thus more than 44 twice, 44 is a Størmer number.

Forty-four is a tribonacci number, an octahedral number and the number of derangements of 5 items.

44 (forty-four) is the natural number following 43 and preceding 45.

The M44 cyanide device is used for the elimination of suspected livestock predators. It uses a spring to propel a dose of sodium cyanide into the predator's mouth.

Navy Capt. Daniel Dusek will spend 44 months in prison for trading classified info for booze, food & sex

In a news story this week, "A Scottish man surgically outfitted with a so-called “bionic penis” has lost his virginity at age 44 with a sex worker who donated the session."

The Federalist No. 44 was written by James Madison and is entitled, "Restrictions on the Authority of the Several States"

"Many believe that, in Sonnet 44, Shakespeare is distraught over the absence of the Earl of Southampton, who was Shakespeare's patron for a time and perhaps his lover as well."

For My Birthday, I'm Gonna Run for President

I've given this a lot of thought, and because I will be reaching the age of candidacy, I've decided to run for president in 2008.

In other words, I'll be turning 35.

To celebrate the throwing of my hat into the ring, and since my birthday inconveniently falls on Otago Anniversary Day (Observed) -- Monday, and don't ask me what it is, I don't know, either -- I'll be celebrating my candidacy with a dual birthday celebration with Adam (who just turned 28 -- he can't even run for Senate yet. Well, that, and he's Irish. And a felon).

• Where: Ragtime in Courthouse, Arlington.
  
  
• When: Saturday, 3/24. Starting around 9pm.
  
  
• What Else: No gifts (for me, though I hear Adam is a real man-whore about that stuff.).

Oh, and don't wear anything... complicated.