My kids watch this show. This appears to be one of the only interesting comments to come from it:
"The best number is 73. Why? 73 is the 21st prime number. Its mirror (37) is the 12th and its mirror (21) is the product of multiplying, 7 and 3. ... In binary, 73 is a palindrome, 1001001 which backwards is 1001001."
-Dr. Sheldon Cooper, (Jim Parsons), "Big Bang Theory"
"Just to invite your attention to "73" in Morse code--also a palindrome."
-W9JEF
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"
http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm
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Anyone know how "73" got to be the greeting? I'll bet that nice palindromic sound in Morse had a lot to do with it. 73!
ReplyDeleteI always heard the story that it goes back to the telegraph days. Back then, in the "wild west", man's most prized possession was his Winchester 73 rifle. Signing "73" was akin to saying "I will you my Winchester 73", which was a sign of respect, salutations and Best Wishes.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if it's true, but that's what I've read in several places.
and, it looks like a smiley...
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