Is there any number more-eagerly looked-forward to? In some ways, a perfect number: twice 9, half 36. And what young person doesn’t dream of someday reaching this milestone?
A few “highlights” of the eighteenth number:
• Civil War victor general, Ulysses S. Grant, was the 18th U.S. president.
• In ancient Rome, 18 represented a blood relative.
• In most countries, 18 is the age of majority—the point at which a person is considered an adult. entitled to vote, and entitled to marry without parental consent.
• 18 is the number of tires on an eighteen wheeler.
• The Hebrew word for life, “chai,” has a numerical value of 18—making the number an auspicious value when making gifts or setting prices.
• In Chinese, “18” sounds like the phrase “certain to get rich,” making the number lucky.
• Joseph Heller’s famous book was nearly named “Catch 18.”
Enjoy the eighteenth.