Palindrome

Friday, December 04, 2020 (27 days left…. )

I missed it! The second day of last February, 02/20/2020, was a palindrome–a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backwards as forward. That was the only, after the last 900 years of dates, to be a palindrome.

Besides, the 2020 date is extra special. Unlike other palindromic dates, such as 10/02/2001, last February’s date is a global palindrome, one exactly the same either in the DD/MM/YYYY format or in the US standard of MM/DD/YYYY.

For the record, in every 10,000 years there are 366 palindrome days. Since we won’t be around to witness the next, which will arrive in 101 years, let’s wave in belated acknowledgement to last February’s extra-special palindromic event.

I love palindromes. Many years ago, I worked in the aerospace industry and supported a group of scientists. We got into a game of finding or thinking up new palindromes. We jotted palindromic words and whole lines on a blackboard near my desk. Staring at it often captured my imagination, got into my head, and in a palindrome mode I scribbled, hoping to come up with something original. But dreaming up palindromes was beyond my talent, the trained scientists proved better at it.

Our palindromes provided lighter moments of fun, in an environment where workers otherwise focused on technical analyses and productivity. Our thinking team spontaneously jotted on the big board many famous palindromes that still today make me smile.

Bummer! That I missed the significance of last February 2. That day, plus those before and after, I’d have rethought palindromes and history. Those always trigger memories of that former special workplace and my hours of fun in sync with very creative thinkers.

Dear Friends: A blast from the past often may prove simply irresistible. Diana