What’s today’s date? Yes, it’s Wednesday, and, yes, there’s less than a fortnight till Christmas. But something even more significant is afoot.
For the last time this century, the day, the month and the year are all the same number - 12/12/12. This phenomenon won’t happen again until the first day of the next century - 01/01/01.
Today is being talked about as having almost magical properties, a symmetrical and therefore “perfect” date when kindness and goodwill will rule.
It has been dubbed a “World Day Of Interconnectedness” and events are planned from New York to New Zealand to celebrate this rare numerical curiosity.
In Utrecht, Holland, 60 clowns will walk through the streets to get the city smiling. In India, gurus will urge the world to take up meditation. And in New York, the Rolling Stones will play a concert to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
All is harmony, it seems, on 12/12/12. But what makes this date so appealing, so special? It’s just a string of numbers, after all. Or does it touch a deeper instinct?
Some scientists believe we are programmed to react to symmetry - in choosing partners who will be good breeding material: so whether it is a perfectly balanced face or a mathematical sequence, we take a pleasure in it. - Daily Mail