77 Facts Page 6

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Septology abounds

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386	In the film Ed Wood, when trying to pitch the film Glen or Glenda, Ed (played by Johhny Depp) is told to shoot whatever baloney he likes as long as it’s seven reels long. The word baloney contains seven letters.

387	The Paneu are a collective of seven Afghan-Kafir Gods.

388	The Seventh Book of Moses is the name of a Dutch Grimoire (book of magical invocations).

389

In the Celtic wonder tale The Lad of the Skin Coverings, for every knot that was unfastened on the thong binding Conan the warrior, seven knots remained bound tight. In the same tale a messenger states that the hero Finn is bound by “. . . crosses, and as spells, and as seven fairy fetters of travelling and straying, that he would neither stop nor take rest until he reach the Queen of Ruaidh’s place”. Whatever that means.

390	In the Celtic Folk-tale The Lad of the Skin Coverings, the palace of King Lochlan was guarded by 7 warriors.

391	Headless cockroaches can live for seven days after beheadings, because of nerve cell clusters elsewhere in their bodies.

392	J. W. Waterhouse, in his painting The Danaides, depicts seven of the fifty daughters of King Danaus - 49 (7 x 7) of whom were condemned to death for having murdered their husbands on their wedding nights.

seven daughters of King Danaus

393	In the Hans Christian Andersen tale Ole Luk-Oie (a Scandinavian equivalent of Wee Willie Winkie or the Sandman), the title character tells a little boy called Hjalmar seven different stories, one for each night of the week.

394	It takes seven years for Oak Tree leaves to rot.

395	Aaron Barshak, the Comedy Terrorist, set off seven security alarms (which were ignored by guards and the police) when he gatecrashed Prince William’s 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle, sporting a Bin Laden beard and a peach frock.

396	For her Golden Jubilee, Queen Victoria was presented with a seven-foot tall orchid bouquet.

397	Orchids take seven years to bloom.

398	The English plant hunter Joseph Hooker spent seven months in Assam searching for rare orchids, during which time he was nearly drowned by three hundred inches of rain and had ascended further up Mt. Kanchenjunga than any other European before him.

399	The Great Stove at Chatsworth, the world’s largest greenhouse in the early 17th century, was heated by seven miles of pipes.

400	In April 2003 four young girls were alarmed to be mugged and robbed of their water canteens by a troop of thirsty baboons, after walking for seven miles in drought-hit North Kenya.

401	There are seven known species of Ptchopteridae (False Crane Flies) in Britain.

402	The scientist Byron Sykes developed a theory that all people of European descent can trace their ancestry back to one of seven initial DNA strains. These he named the seven daughters of Eve and are as follows: Ursula Xenia Helena Velda Tara Katrine Jasmine

403	Tylenol developed a plastic protective seal that became the standard in the drug industry after some crazy guy spiked a bunch of Tylenol bottles with poison, killing seven people.

404

Whilst most natural history books tend to try to explain the life-cycles of insects with the least possible number of pictures, for some reason The Practical Entomologist by Rick Imes has chosen to show both Hemimetabolous and Holometabolous development in seven stages. (The word ‘insects’ has seven letters).

seven stages of insect development

405	Another Brother’s Grimm fairy tale (see facts 208, 297) is entitled The Seven Swabians.

406	In Gnostic myth, Eloai is the ruler of the seven Heavens of Chaos.

407	The sinkholes of the Fakahatchee Swamp in Florida are filled with as much as seven feet of standing water.

408	The mysterious cryptid manimal of Florida known as the Swamp Ape is said to be seven feet tall and weigh seven hundred pounds.

409	Spiders’ legs are composed of seven segments.

410	The 1851 book Orchids for the Millions by Benjamin Williams proved so popular in that era that it had to be reprinted seven times.

411	Approximately seven tenths of the Earth's surface is covered by water.

412

Mark Spitz, considered the swiftest swimmer of all time, made his big splash during the 1972 Olympics, becoming the first athlete to win seven gold medals in an Olympiad. His performances were even more remarkable considering world records were set in all seven events. Fulfilling all the pre-Olympic hype, he won four individual events (in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle and 100- and 200-meter butterfly) and three relay races. After his Munich triumph, Spitz was bombarded with endorsement offers. He soon came to be known more as a good-looking, mustachioed pitchman than for his signature butterfly stroke. He made some $7 million in two years.

413	In Ancient Egypt, it was believed that when a child was born it would be guarded until a certain age by seven Hathors (spirits that sometimes had the heads of cattle).

414	Lampreys (eel-like parasitic fish with an impressive set of teeth) have 7 pairs of circular gill openings running along their sides.

415	In December 2002 an eight year old girl in Australia defied the odds by surviving an attack from a deadly taipan snake. Her treatment consisted of seven shots of anti-venom.

416	In Breton-Celtic lore the submerged lands off the coast of Brittany are said to rise from beneath the waves once every seven years.

417	“Recent surveys reveal that about one in seven people in Britain claims to have seen a ghost”.

418

W. K. Kellogg (of breakfast cereal fame) told people, "I was my father's seventh son, born on the seventh day of the week and the seventh day of the month. My father was a seventh child, and the name 'Kellogg' has seven letters." When he travelled, he booked rooms on the seventh floor; his Michigan license plates had to end in a seven.

419	During the Vietnam War, as many as one in seven American soldiers took heroin.

420	Enid Blyton wrote a number of children’s books in the Secret Seven series.


421	In regional Greek Myth there were seven Muses recognised in Lesbos.

422	In the film Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 the goth-chick crashed a van into a tree after swerving to avoid the ghosts of seven murdered children.

423	During mating, males of the millipede species Polyxenus Lagunis secrete a chemical from glands in their seventh segment.

424	In the Celtic wonder tale The Bare-Stripping Hangman, in order to help the king the hen-wife required as much butter as his seven cow-houses produced in seven years, as much wool as his seven sheep-houses produced in seven years and as much meat as his seven ox-houses produced in seven years.

425	Mentioned in the Celtic wonder tale The Bare-Stripping Hangman, are the Fiery Dragon of the seven Serpent-heads and the Great Barns of the seven Stoops, seven Bends and seven Couples.

426	Aileen Wuornos, America’s first female serial killer, murdered seven men.

427	On February 14th, 1929 (14 =2X7, 1+9+2+9=21=3X7), seven rivals of Al Capone were murdered in a Chicago garage in what was later dubbed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

428	And on a similar theme, the gangster film The Sting set in 1930’s Chicago and starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, won seven Oscars.

429	Distinguishing features of the Pearl Bordered Fritillary and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary Butterflies are their underwing markings resembling a string of seven pearls.

430	A statue of Sir Thomas Browne stands in Norwich Haymarket. Browne was the author of various strange books including the seven volume Pseudoxia Epidemica (or 'Browne's Vulgar Errors') - a study of strange beliefs and superstitions published in 1646.

431	The Forestry Commission’s Native Pinewood Inventory recognises seventy-seven pinewoods in seven biochemical regions of Scotland. The book People and Woods of Scotland: A History edited by John Fowler consists of seven essays by seven writers.

432	In the book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (seven letters in each name) the journeyman Orlick informed young Pip that the devil lived in a corner of the smithy's forge and every seven years would light the furnace using a live boy as fuel.

433	There are seven major chakras of the body, represented by the following gemstones (as seen in a pretentious advert for a necklace): Red Garnet, Orange Carnelian, Yellow Citrine, Green Peridot, Blue Howlite, Indigo Sodalite, Violet Amethyst.

434	The Poludnica (Midday Spirit) is a supernatural Polish Hag prone to attacking people with a sickle. Sometimes she wanders alone but at other times she will be seen accompanied by seven massive black dogs.

435	The cow pictured below is called Becky, was born in February 2002 and belongs to Colin Fry from Bude in Cornwall. As far as I’m aware there has been no image manipulation jiggery-pokery, it’s just an accurate representation of a bona-fide bovine blessed with that number.

Becky

436

In the book Titus Groan – part of the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake – the curator Rotcodd would enter the Hall of the Bright Carvings (which was constantly illuminated by seven candelabra) to clean daily at seven o’clock.
When the chef Abiatha Swelter collapses in a drunken stupor his portly frame covers seven flagstones.
Seven of the walls in the octagonal room are covered in full-length portraits.
The character Fuchsia sees seven clouds, which she regards as ominous.
The names Rotcodd, Fuchsia and first and second names Abiatha Swelter each contain seven letters.
Upon hearing the news of the birth of Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Gormenghast, the Dwellers repeat the word ‘Gormenghast’ 77 times.
Seven cedars stand upon the lawn.
Seven characters are described as they advance towards the cool room for Titus’ christening.
When the character Steerpike tries to gain the favour of Lady Fuchsia he remains immobile in a clown stance for seven seconds.
Lady Gertrude receives seven beggars from the outer dwellings to anoint them with oil.
Hand painted in the seven hues of yellow, red, green, violet, pale blue, coral pink and orange, the Groan Twins’ Room of Roots is described as giving the impression of seven boles that have forced their way through the window.
Seven wooden steps lead up to the rostrum and long table in Gormenghast dining room.
As part of Titus’ first breakfast ceremony the character Barquentine is obliged to trample seven times up and down the length of the long-table.
The character Flay observes Keda traversing the seven-foot long crag on Gormenghast Mountain.
The character Irma remembered perfectly lesson seven that ladies do not participate in ‘situations’.
The second book of the Gormenghast trilogy, Gormenghast, continues the tale of Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Gormenghast, when he is aged seven. His mother has seen him only seven times in seven years.
To enter Fuchsia’s room, Steerpike climbs seven stories down from above on a rope.
At the meeting of the professors Shred describes Bellgrove as having difficulty in understanding sentences containing more than seven words.
Irma Prunesquallor’s party, according to her invitation, was due to begin at seven pm.
Titus is sentenced to seven days confinement in the kitchen fort, for running away.
The poet’s rostrum is seven feet above the ground.
During the great fold, Titus receives his boat floating on the seventh floor of the castle.
Steerpike’s rooftop retreat had seven strongholds.
In Titus Alone, the third book of the Gormenghast trilogy, the blue-chinned man at the party in the city recites a poem that speaks of seven biscuit-boxes.
As they flee from the party, Titus and Muzzlehatch find themselves in a hall surrounded by seven doors on a level seven floors above the servants’ quarters.
Seven hounds are seen to pass through Under-River, ready for their meal of seven chunks of crimson horse-flesh.
Seven times the Black Rose tries to escape from Veil, and seven times he finds her again.
Perched on the back of the throne in the Black House are seven owls.
As Titus returns to familiar ground he hears a cannon fire seven times

437	The title-page illustration from De Lapide Philosophica depicts a complex symbolic design incorporating seven rays emanating from the centre. Each of the rays is thought to depict a different Alchemical process. (The word 'Alchemy' contains seven letters).

seven rays

438	The Vile (Ash tree elementals from southern Slavic folklore) were said to ride around on the backs of seven-year-old Stags.
439	The promotional material for the first British cultivation of the giant water lily Victoria Amazonica featured a seven-year old girl standing on the floating leaf.

440	The painting by Lucio Fontana titled Spatial Concept (1962) is a plain blue canvas slashed seven times. The words ‘spatial’, ‘concept’, and the name ‘Fontana’ each have seven letters.

441	There are seven known species of Burnet Moths in Britain.

442	Curtis Ricks, the ossified man, died in 1892 of a rare condition that turned his flesh into bone. He left behind a wife and seven children.

443	Prisoner Aleksandr Roppel committed suicide by beheading himself with a circular saw after being sentenced to seven years imprisonment in Krasnoyarsk Region Penal Colony, Siberia, for drug trafficking.

444	When Eva Peron, wife of the President of Argentina, died in 1952 over two million people filed past her coffin as her body lay in state. Seven people were killed in the crush.

445	No7 mascara listed seven ways to rob a bank as part of a tv advertising campaign.

446	In Irish Celtic Myth, an unsuccessful alliance between the Tuatha de Danaan (Old Gods / Faerie race) and the Fomorii (sea demons) was followed by a war that took seven years of preparation.

447	In Celtic Myth the goddess Beira was said to have passed through seven periods of youth.

448	In Celtic Myth the healer Jeermit was away seven years on his expedition to the Land-Under-Waves.

449	In one of the artist Gustave Dore’s definitive Bible engravings the prophet Daniel is pictured surrounded by seven lions.


450	The French for ‘cassette’ is magnetophone – however the word cassette comes from the French for ‘K7’, which was their reference number for the idea when they invented it.

451	In 1977 the total budget of the Central African Republic was $70 million (equivalent to the annual turnover of the largest branch of a major supermarket).

452	In Assyro-Babylonian Myth, of all the Uttuku (evil spirits) the most nefarious are the seven born in the Mountain of the West.

453	Every seven seconds someone in the world is eating a Kit Kat.

454	Males of the Honduran Cockroach (Latiblatella Augustifrons) have a pheromone-emitting ‘excitator’ gland on their seventh abdominal section.

455	The standard 3-chord trick for playing guitar: pick a chord - any chord - now add the chords seven frets up and seven frets down, and you can play any song by Status Quo.

456	In the Apocryphal Bible the Dragon that St. Michael vanquished in the War in Heaven was described as having seven heads and seven crowns.

457	The Xmas Islands, the largest atoll in the Pacific, has the fastest growing population in the world – 7.7%.

458	The ancient Danish Army, between 1104 and 1134, consisted of just seven men.

459	In Islamic belief Adam, the first man, was said to have been crafted from seven different types of earth, which is said to account for the different pigmentation of human skin.

460	Serial killer Ted Bundy, when he eventually went to the electric chair, was led into the execution chamber at Starke State prison, Florida at 7am. The executioner threw the switch at 7.07am.

461	“Where’s the hammer? What did I do with the hammer? Great heavens! Seven of you, gaping round there, and you don’t know what I did with the hammer!”

462	In David Cronenberg’s film Videodrome, the television channel owned by the character Max Renn has a logo comprising the name – Civic TV – overlapping itself seven times. (Civic TV consists of seven letters).

This is 77 facts about the Number 7 page six