Key Highlights
- An electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland said today's date is a ubiquitous palindrome date"
- In the short-hand British format, the date appears to be 22-2-22
- The next ubiquitous palindrome date will be March 3, 2033 (3-3-33)
There are only a few dates on the calendar that are numerically very rare. The occurrence of such dates usually comes after a long wait. Today is one such day.
22/02/2022 is not just rare, it's doubly rare The date is both a palindrome and an ambigram. This means one can read it the same way forward, backward, and upside down.
If written in the British format 22//02/2022, the date becomes a palindrome and an ambigram, a pattern that is special and very rare.
It's not uncommon for dates to be a palindrome. For example, 20th February 2022 can also become one if written in the American format - 2/20/2022.
The oddity of the day is being celebrated in many ways. While brands and companies are offering deals on food and products, many have said on social media that it is a good day to propose marriage or start something new in life.
“Today is both a palindrome and an ambigram. This means it can be read backward and forwards as well as upside down. This may be my most useful tweet ever. Good day,” tweeted Ed Solomon, writer.
Aziz S. Inan, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland, said that palindrome days tend to occur only in the first few centuries of each millennium in the mm-dd-yyy British format.
"In the mm-dd-yyyy format, the first of 36 Palindrome Days in the current millennium (January 1, 2001, to December 31, 3000) was October 2, 2001 (10-02-2001) and the last such day will be September 22, 2290 (09-22-2290)," he noted.
He said that today's date is a "ubiquitous palindrome date" because it's a short-hand version is a palindrome, irrespective of the date system.
In the short-hand British format, the date appears to be 22-2-22. And in the short had US format, the date appears to be 2-22-22.
He said ubiquitous palindrome dates like Feb 2, 2022 (2-2-22) occur every 11 years. The next one will be March 3, 2033 (3-3-33) and subsequently, April 4, 2044 (4-4-44).
“Secondly, Feb 22, 2022 is also a full eight-digit palindrome date (22-02-2022) and there will be a seven-digit palindrome date again after 200 years on Feb 22, 2222 (22-2-2222)," he was quoted as saying by The Strait Times.
