47: The Number of the Universe

47 IS a magical number. Bonnie discovered the awe inspiring number at the beginning of her freshman summer in high school and ever since it has attracted a large group of believers in its amazing and lucky powers. It constantly appears when you are least looking for it; it seems to occur more frequently in nature than any other number. 47 is the quintessential random number of the universe. It has become an occasion for joy and excitement whenever 47 is spotted.

The uniqueness of 47 is explained in the following manner by Bonnie: “Say you’re receiving your order number at a restaurant: #47; you’re parking in a numbered spot in a parking lot: #47; looking up at the score of a basketball game: 47 to 47; and even watching a movie in which the secret warehouse that contains the key to success is, guess, what, #47! It’s literally everywhere you look.”

List of occurrences:

Bonnie’s first practice jersey in high school was #47

Graffiti on the wall in Italy had, you betcha, a huge #47

Bonnie’s total price for gas every time her tank is empty (literally): $47

Teacher talking in class about hard numbers to take square root of: #47

Quoted in Gone Girl: “your credit card debt is $47,000”

An entire episode of Alcatraz (show now discontinued) was devoted to a sniper who muttered “number 47” under his breath at all times

Bonnie’s dad receiving order #47 at restaurant the day that her team won CIF championship

Mission Impossible 3: Tom Cruise searching for train car #47

Bonnie and her sisters went bowling and the score was 41 to 47

We watched a movie called “47 Ronin”

And the best occurrence of all: At the end of the Uconn game this year during a full media timeout, the clock was stopped at 47 seconds. I told Erica Payne that 47 is a great sign and that if we go into overtime, we will win this game. And hey, guess what? The magic worked! In another great turn of events, our team also happened to break Uconn’s 47 game winning streak that fateful day. It was clearly meant to be. This was the moment when most of the people on our team finally believed in the magic of 47.

So the next time you see a random 47, know that it is magic and that it will bring you luck.

— Alex, with contributions from Bonnie