This week’s column is about an unusual subject – the number 300. Please humor me as I explore this interesting number.
Why is 300 special? Well, it has several interesting aspects. Mathematically, it is the sum of two prime numbers (149 + 151), and it is also the sum of ten consecutive prime numbers (13 + 17 + 19 + 23 + 29 + 31 + 37 + 41 + 43 + 47).
In history, according to the ancient Greek writer and historian Herodotus, 300 Spartans resisted one million Persian invaders during the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC), which became the subject of the Warner Brothers historical action movie ‘300’. Moving on another few centuries, in the Bible the number 300 is used many times, including in God’s instruction to Noah to build his ark three hundred cubits long (about 450 feet).
In modern day terms, it represents a perfect score in bowling, and it is also the lowest credit rating one can get on several systems of credit scoring. The 100 yard long playing area on an American football field is, unsurprisingly, exactly 300 feet long. My husband occasionally tortures our dogs and I with old blues music, and he tells me in 1963 Howlin’ Wolf released the hit song “300 Pounds of Joy”, which was later recorded by others including Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi as The Blues Brothers.
Onto the mythological. According to various websites on tarot cards, astrology, and numerology, 300 is also an angel number. “The number 300 urges us not to let a lack of clarity hold us back. No one knows what the future holds, focus on what will bring you happiness and fulfillment in the here and now”, according to numerologysign.com. Others say the number is urging you to trust your intuition, love those around you, and a lot of other encouraging advice. Perhaps my favorite is from sunsigns.org - “Angel number 300 is a cue from the divine forces that you have to respect the people who were behind your success and be grateful. In other words, having good people will make your life better and great.” Is that stating the obvious or is it just me that thinks so?
If you are still reading, it leads to me answering the question which is now no doubt firmly on your mind – why in the world is the English Rose in Georgia rambling on about the number 300? Well, you are reading the answer.
Unbelievably, this is my 300th column for the Bryan County News! Well, they do say that time flies when you are having fun.
My first column appeared in October 2010, when the then-publisher of this newspaper asked me to share some of my perceptions as a newly arrived transplant from London, England to Richmond Hill, Georgia. He knew I loved living here on the doorstep of beautiful, historic Savannah, and he had heard me speak at our Rotary Club about some of the quirks and funny differences in our cultures and ways of life. So was born “An English Rose in Georgia”, which has appeared every two weeks, 300 times, like clockwork. I thought it would be fun to do for a few months, but here we are over eleven years later. I am proud of having never missed a deadline, and I do my best to write about something new (and hopefully interesting) every time.
The topics of these columns have been about as wide-ranging as it is possible to be. Famous people, historical events, geography, travel, popular culture, work, animals, random interesting facts that catch my attention and, of course, some of the amusing differences between the USA and jolly Ol’ England. One of my early columns was even written in the voice of our British Labrador Retriever, who enjoyed his golden years here in Coastal Georgia. I found it amusing that after emigrating to the US, our three British dogs woke us up at 3am for a while demanding breakfast – they were suffering from jet lag!
I really appreciate the response I get from my readers. I have received a lot of emails over the years, almost all positive, and it never fails to surprise and slightly embarrass me when people stop me in the post office or grocery store and are kind enough to say they read and enjoy my column. I also get some great suggestions for future columns from my readers, so please keep them coming. Email me at lesley@lesleyfrancisPR.com .
I would like to give a huge thanks to this newspaper for allowing me to connect with the community I love in this very unique way. And, to you for reading them! Whether you read my column regularly, or occasionally, or even if this is your very first one, you have my heartfelt appreciation, and I am deeply honored by your support. Thank you.
So, since this column is focused on a number, I thought I would say goodbye this week with a math quote from that famous and fabulously funny American columnist Erma Bombeck: “As a graduate of the Zsa Zsa Gabor School of Creative Mathematics, I honestly do not know how old I am.”
God Bless America!
Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr.com