Monday Open Thread: July 9 is the day Millard Fillmore took office, how's that do ya?

July 9 is the 192nd day of the year, there are 173 days left

Tis Setting Orange, Confusion 44, 3184 YOLD

Today's number is 9

9 is the largest single digit integer 9 is the square of a prime and is the second lowest such square

"Casting out nines" is a quick way of testing the calculations of sums, differences, products, and quotients of integers. It was known as long ago as the 12th Century. It is also the basis of a lot of "magic" tricks and puzzles. There used to be some based on the rotary phone dial too. Essentially, They are modulo 9 math.

A number is divisible by 9 if its digital root is 9. A number's digital root is the sum of its digits. If such sum is greater than one digit, then those digits are also summed, etc. Thus the digital root of 18 is 9 (8+1), and the digital root of 456 is 6 (4+5+6 = 15 and 1+5 = 6)

Now the fun: 1/9 = 0.11 followed by an infinite string of 1s 2/9 = 2 x 0.11 to infinity = 0.22 followed by an infinite string of 2s 3/9, of course, is 0.33 fol;lowed by an infinite string of 3s, etc. This brings us to 9/9 = 0.99 followed by an infinite string of 9s, which is also 1. Back in the stoneage, a test of calculators and computers was to perform the operation (1/9)x9 and see if it returned 1 or 0.9999999 etc.

Conversely: 123456789 x 9 = 111,111,111 123456789 x 18 = 222,222,222 (because 18 = 2 x 9) etc up to 123456789 x 72 = 888,888,888 (9 x 8 ) and 123456789 x 81 = 999,999,999 (9 x 9)

9 is the number of lives a domestic cat has 9 is the Jersey number worn by the inimitable Ted Williams. 9 is Fluorine. 9 is Organic: Five-digit produce PLU codes that begin with 9 are organic. A 9 sided polygon is a nonagon, aka an enneagon There are 9 justices on the US Supreme Courtallowfullscreen>

Title 9 of the US Code is Arbitration

9 BCE was the Year of the Consulship of Drusus and Crispinus Nero Claudius Drusus died and Emperor Ping of Han was born.

9 CE was the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Camerinus The Rhine river was established as the boundary between the Latin- and German-speaking worlds, following the defeat of the Roman army, under the command of Varus, at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. (Varus again) Italy adopted the Lex Papia Poppaea outlawing celibacy and childless relationships, unlike later under the popes, who favored celibacy, though still abhorring childless relationships. (Confused much?) In China, Wang Mang founded the Xin dynasty, which lasted 16 years

On this day in:

1401 - Tamerlane (Timur) destroyed Baghdad, killing 20,000.* 1789 - The French National Assembly reconstitutes itself as the National Constituent Assembly 1816 - Argentina declared independence 1850 - President Taylor died and Millard Fillmore took over 1850 - The prophet Bab was executed for wrong thinking 1868 - The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified 1896 - William Jennings Bryan delivered his Cross of Gold speech 1943 - The Allied invasion of Sicily began 1944 - US forces took Saipan 1955 - The Russell-Einstein Manifesto was issued 1962 - Starfish Prime failed to blow up outer space. 1986 - New Zealand legalized homosexuality 1993 - Canada passed the Nunavut Act

* The US totally failed to Destroy Bagdad, though it did kill a great many more people

Born this day in:

1764 - Ann Radcliffe, author and poet 1819 - Elias Howe, inventor 1834 - Jan Neruda, writer, poet, and critic 1879 - Carlos Chagas, physician and parasitologist 1879 - Ottorino Respighi, composer 1887 - Samuel Eliot Morison, admiral and historian 1901 - Barbara Cartland, author of sorts 1907 - Eddie Dean, singer and songwriter 1911 - Mervyn Peake, author 1927 - Ed Ames, singer, actor and Ames Brother 1929 - Lee Hazlewood, singer, songwriter, and producer 1929 - Jesse McReynolds, singer and mandolin player 1941 - Mac MacLeod, musician 1946 - Bon Scott, singer and songwriter 1964 - Courtney Love, singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor 1975 - Jack White, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Died this day in:

1850 - The Bab 1856 - Amedeo Avogadro, chemist, 6.022140857 x 1023 1880 - Paul Broca, physician and anatomist 1938 - Benjamin N. Cardozo, l;awyer and jurist 1974 - Earl Warren, jurist and politician 1977 - Alice Paul, suffragist and feminist 1979 - Cornelia Otis Skinner, actress and author 1992 - Eric Sevareid, journalist

Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days and such: Pan-Galactic omphaloskepsis day.

The Russell-Einstein Manifesto

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Ottorino Respighi

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Eddie Dean

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Ed Ames

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Lee Hazlewood

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Jesse McReynolds