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Discover the Magic: Top 9 Intriguing Fun Facts About the Number 42 You Never Knew!

illustration of the-number-42
Dive into the fascinating world of 42, a number steeped in mystery, pop culture, and amusing trivia that'll have you contemplating the meaning of life, the universe, and everything between!

1. Diamond's Critical Angle: 24.4 Degrees

When life, the universe, and everything seem to leave you searching for that diamond spark, ponder this shiny gem: the critical angle for the diamond-air boundary is just a scintillating 24.4 degrees. This itsy-bitsy angle allows light to embrace a ritzy game of hide-and-seek, ricocheting within the diamond and granting it that alluring twinkle we can't resist. Remember, it's all in the cut, darling!
Source => physicsclassroom.com

2. Unlucky 42 in Japan

Whoever said "42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything" clearly never lived in Japan: In reality, this seemingly innocent number is considered highly unlucky due to its phonetic resemblance to the Japanese term "shi-ni" or "to die," causing some license plates to steer clear of 42 and buildings to sometimes frown upon Room 43.
Source => lingualift.com

3. 42 Folds to the Moon

If you're ever bored and wish to take a trip to the moon, fear not, for all you need is persistence and a simple sheet of paper: With just 42 folds of said paper, you'd reach a thickness of over 439,804 kilometers, which is more than the distance between Earth and its beloved lunar neighbor.
Source => boundlessbrilliance.org

4. Hitchhiker's Guide's Unsolved Enigma

In a cosmic twist of fate, the mystical number 42 in Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is not really the baker's dozen answer to life, the universe, and everything it's cracked up to be: truth is, the book itself reveals that the actual question behind this numerical enigma hasn't yet been discovered, and Deep Thought, the wise old supercomputer, would need to whip up an Earth 2.0 to finally crack the code and serve up the real query behind this hilarious mathematical morsel.
Source => scientificamerican.com

Marathons: A Greek Prank

5. Marathons: A Greek Prank

Marathons are an ancient Greek prank gone wrong: it turns out running 42.195 km in a row might not be everyone’s cup of Gatorade. The serious scoop: Marathons have 42.195 km, a nod to an exhausted soldier’s trek from Marathon to Athens, as the official distance since the International Amateur Athletic Federation put their stamp on it in 1921.
Source => ahotu.com

6. Molybdenum: The Globetrotting Element

When Mo knows you crave something sturdy yet spicy, it doesn't metal around! Yup, it's molybdenum – every tough cookie's BFF: With an atomic number of 42, molybdenum boasts the sixth-highest melting point among elements and is used in steel alloys, high-strength stuff, and superalloys. Not just a hunky metal, it's also a globetrotting pigment and catalyst with mining hotspots from the US to China and Chile.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Jackie Robinson's Blue 42

"Stealing home with style": In what seems to be a cosmic confluence of flair, fortitude, and fortuity, Major League Baseball will honor Jackie Robinson's 42 by not only donning the famed number on Jackie Robinson Day in 2022, but also giving it a blue hue reminiscent of the Brooklyn Dodgers' jerseys—marking 75 years since Robinson tore down racial barriers in professional baseball.
Source => deseret.com

8. Recycled Glass Saves Energy

Feeling a bit "glass-half-empty"? Why not turn that frown upside down, and into something productive, by recycling that glass container and saving the world one kilowatt at a time: Recycling one ton of glass conserves 42 kWh of energy, enough to power your humble abode for almost a week, saves 0.12 barrels (5 gallons) of oil, and spares 2 cubic yards of landfill space.
Source => wm.com

9. Gutenberg: The Typeface Trendsetter

Ever wondered if Gutenberg was a medieval fashionista strutting his ink on the runway of literature? Well, look no further: The Gutenberg Bible, considered one of the most beautiful books of all time with its shiny-varnished ink, also set the typeface trends of its era – making Gutenberg the Karl Lagerfeld of the 15th century. With 49 known surviving copies, only 21 are complete, and a single leaf could fetch the price of three years' wages for a scribe back in the day!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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