SAN FRANCISCO — Ron Gordon would like you to take a moment or three to think about what an odd day Saturday was.
Why? Because 7/ 9/11 is one of only six dates this century that features three consecutive odd numbers. Next up, 9/1 1/13.
Gordon, a retired teacher from Redwood City, Calif., has been fascinated with curious dates since about 30 years ago he noticed the date he was writing on a check: 9/ 9/81.
That, Gordon noticed, is a Square Root Day — one in which the day and the month are the same number and, multiplied together, yield the year as it is expressed in one or two digits. That led Gordon to begin thinking about Odd Days.
“Like a kid, if you find a ladybug on your arm, you run around and show everyone at the picnic until the ladybug flies away,” Gordon said. “This is my ladybug, and it’s not gone yet.”
After 9/1 1/13, the next Odd Day will be 1 1/13/15 — and that will be it until next century. Though we still have 4/ 4/16 to look forward to — the next Square Root Day.
