1 – Number of time zones in China. Even though it is one of the largest countries in world (in terms of total land area) and considering that it geographically spans several time zones, China chooses to have only a single time zone, (GMT+8). It is the same as that of the Philippine’s.
2- The number of times that James Bond got married, as shown in the official movies. The first time was in You Only Live Twice (1967) and the second one was in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). His first marriage is not legal because it was part of his cover in a covert mission. His second marriage was to Contessa "Tracy" di Vicenzo. She was Bond’s only “official” wife, at least in the films. Sadly, she was killed by Bond’s enemies in the end of the film.
3 – The number of times that Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was chosen as Time’s Man (Person) of the Year. He received the titles on 1932, 1934 and 1941. The first Man of the Year was Charles Lindbergh. He is also the youngest person to receive this title. Incidentally, the most recent recipient of this title is Vladimir Putin, the current President of the Russian Federation (his term will end on May 7, 2008)
4 – Each of the Kings of the four "suits" of a standard deck of cards traditionally represents a historical king: (1) Spades – David (Hebrew/Jewish) (2) Hearts – Charlemagne (Frankish/French) (3) Diamonds – Julius Caesar (Roman) (4) Clubs – Alexander the Great (Greek).
5 – The number of Hades’ rivers. Hades is the Greek realm of the dead. The five rivers of Hades are (1) Acheron (River of Woe), Cocytus (River of Lament) (3) Lethe (River of Forgetfulness) (4) Phlegeton (River of Fire) and (5) Styx (River of Hate). Incidentally, it is said that Charon is the ferryman of Hades. Ancient Greeks bury their dead with a silver coin, called obolus, placed under the tongue or on the eyes of the corpse. This is used to pay Charon for passage across Acheron. (This was shown in the movie Troy when King Priam (Peter O’ toole) placed coins on the eyes of Hector (Eric Bana) during the funeral scene).
6 – The Six-Day War (between Israel against the combined offensive of Egypt, Syria and Jordan) lasted from June 5, 1967 to June 10, 1967. The immediate causes of the conflict were Egypt's decision to expel United Nations troops from the Sinai Peninsula and the blockade of Israel's port of Eilat (which under international law is a casus belli, or act of war). After the conflict, Israel emerged victorious and captured the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.
7 – The number of Christian Cardinal/Deadly Sins. Traditionally, they are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. These were laid down by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century, and later popularized by Dante Alighieri. Recently, the Vatican has updated the list by adding seven modern social sins to the list: (1) Environmental pollution (2) Genetic manipulation (3) Accumulating excessive wealth (4) Inflicting poverty (5) Drug trafficking and consumption (6) Morally debatable experiments (7) Violation of fundamental rights of human nature.
So, are you guilty? If so, what’s your favorite?
8 – The number of passengers in Noah’s Ark: Noah and his wife, his sons Ham, Japheth and Shem and their wives.
In Chinese culture, the word for "eight" in Chinese, bā, sounds similar to the word which means "prosper" or "wealth" (fā). The number 8 is a perfect symmetrical shape. One can cut the number 8 in half vertically or horizontally, and both halves mirror themselves perfectly. Perfect symmetry lends itself to perfect balance. In Chinese Astrology, perfect balance is considered the ideal.
9 – The highest score that can be achieved in the card game Baccarat. The worst score is 0, which is oddly given the term baccarat. Incidentally, a variant of baccarat, Baccarat Chemin de Fer, is the favorite casino game of James Bond. Also, in the original James Bond Casino Royale (1967) film (yes, the latest one is a remake), the game that is played is between Bond and his enemy is Baccarat Chemin de Fer.
10 – #10 Downing Street is the official residence of the Prime Minister of UK. It is situated in the City of Westminster in London, England. It’s worthwhile to know that Sir Robert Walpole is the first PM of Great Britain.
Sources:
Newman, Stanley and Fittipaldi, Hal. 10,000 Answers – The Ultimate Trivia Encyclopedia. Gramercy Books. New York. 2001
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
www.imdb.com
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3517050.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7287071.stm
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1062869
http://www.sixdaywar.org/
http://www.onlinechineseastrology.com/content-detail.aspx?ID=108
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