In honor of 10/10/10, here is a list of ten about 10.
1. Counting digits
The first thing new parents do is count fingers and toes for a set of 10 each. As Wright State’s Stacie Taylor points out, most kids learn to count to 10 using their fingers’ as a visual aid.
“Take their socks off and they and can count to 20,” she said.
2. 10 Address
School children in the United States learn early that the president lives at White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. Across the pond in the United Kingdom, the prime minister residence in London is at 10 Downing Street, which is often referred to as “Number 10.” Number10.gov.uk is Prime Minster David Cameron’s official website.
3. One Earth Day
Twenty-four hours of the human experience will be recorded today around the world by people ranging from documentary filmmakers, students and other citizens as part of the One Day on Earth. Learn more about the film making project at onedayonearth.org.
4. Food for plants
A bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer has 10 percent phosphate, 10 percent nitrogen, and 10 percent potash.
5. Two 10s
Double Ten Day is the National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It marks the start of the Wuchang Uprising of Oct. 10, 1911, which led to the birth of the Republic of China.
6. 10 in a name
Decimus, the Latin word for tenth, is considered a boy’s name and refers to the tenth child. Deci, a prefix signifying one-tenth in the metric systems (think decimeter), comes from Decimus.
7. Commandments to live by
The Ten Commandments, a moral code in Judaism and Christianity, were written on two tables of stone.
8. Money honey
Most people wouldn’t know what Alexander Hamilton looked like if he wasn’t on the $10 bill. Hamilton, the first U.S. secretary of the treasury, and Benjamin Franklin, on the $100, are the only nonpresidents on U.S. bill currency, according to the U.S. Treasury.
Franklin D. Roosevelt has been depicted on the U.S. dime, the 10 cent piece, since 1946.
9. Top list
Where would a “top list” be without the number 10. Top three or top five maybe, but never a top one, two, four, six, seven, eight or nine list. “Top six celebrity meltdowns” doesn’t have the right ring and frankly seems a little lazy. Try it as a top 10 and watch out.
10. Metal union
The traditional gift for a first wedding anniversary is paper, but by year 10, the first milestone anniversary, a couple has moved up to tin, according to “The meaning of wedding anniversaries: gifts of marriage “ by Gretchen Scoble and Ann Field.
FYI, modern couples want diamond jewelry.
10/10/10 is the new 9/9/9.
The date representing Oct. 10, 2010 also is today.
Numbers fan Stacie Taylor, an adjunct consultant to Wright State University Statistical Consulting Center, said it is no wonder many people take note of dates like 10/10/10.
“They only occur 12 times out of 100 years,” Taylor said, noting those 12 times include 1/1/1, 2/2/2 and so on until 12/12/12. “People get a little fired up about it.”
The date is no 7/7/7 or 8/8/8, but it is very significant for those who follow numerology, said Taylor, who doesn’t believe in numerology but knows a bit about it.
“Ten is the number of rebirth,” she said, adding three 10s in a row is considered particularly special. “(People) are expecting more on 10/10/10 giving the situation in the last few years and the perception of how poorly the country is doing economically.”
Thousands are expected to marry today to harness the power of 10.
“They are going to try to put as many 10s together as possible,” Taylor said.
Many will try to tie the night at 10:10 a.m. or ten minutes after an hour, she said.
The date is expected to give 7/7/7, one of the biggest days for weddings ever, a run for its money, according to The Knot and Time magazine.
There are signs marrying types are taking note:
Weddings planned for Toronto City Hall were moved to a hotel due to high demands for weddings on 10/10/10, according to the Toronto Star.
Ten couples who won a national contest will get engaged at the Trevi Fountain in front of The Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas at 10:10 a.m. during an event hosted by entertainer Donny Osmond.
And a little closer to home, Oakwood Mayor Bill Duncan will leave the city’s fall festival a little early Sunday, for another festive reason.
He’ll officiate a rare Sunday wedding, fulfilling a couple’s desire to be married when the three 10s align.
Suzy Welch, the best-selling author of “10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea,” said 10 as a number resonates with people.
“It’s the first number we count to,” she said. “It feels like a very complete number.”
Welch said she hopes her best-selling personal growth book for the immediate future, the near future and the long-term (10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years) would have been successful if it were based on 8s or any other digit, but three 10s have clear appeal.
“There is something beautiful about the symmetry of those three numbers,” she said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2384 or arobinson@Dayton DailyNews.com. Jeremy Kelley contributed to this story.
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