Ben Burney - S - Colorado

From the 2009 Colorado-Nebraska game in Boulder, Colorado:

 #42, senior safety Ben Burney and #65, back-up long snapper Austin Bisnow.

Nationals Stadium outfield wall

Getting up close with a giant 42 in the outfield at Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC during "Opera in the Outfield" in September 2009.

Dick Kazmaier - Princeton - RB

Compliments of Sod Boy we give you 1951 Heisman Trophy Winner Dick Kazmaier.

Gate 42B - LAX

Gate 42 - Los Angeles International Airport - California.

forty-two degrees north

At the Renaissance Center, discover a Detroit restaurant that takes the dining experience in a whole new direction. You won’t find a better view while you dine in all of Detroit.

A Superstar is Born

Starting to sport The Number at a young age, this lad looks destine for greatness.

America on the Move

On October 3, 2008, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Postal Service™ issued 42–cent America on the Move: 50s Fins and Chrome commemorative stamps in five designs, designed by Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, California.

Flamboro Speedway - Ontario, Canada

The 42 car brings home the checkered flag at the fabulous Flamboro Speedway outside of Hamilton, Ontario.

Was there any doubt?

Exit 5B to 42nd Street - Des Moines, Iowa

Exit 5B will take you to heavenly 42nd Street in Des Moines, Iowa.

42nd Avenue - Amana Colinies - Iowa

The corner of 42nd Avenue and 1st Street in the Amana Colonies in Iowa.

Dick Hoak - RB - Pittsburgh Steelers

Richard "Dick" Hoak proudly sported The Number for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1961 to 1970 after an illustrious career at Penn State.

Chosen by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft, Hoak had an impressive career, amassing 3,965 rushing yards in 1132 attempts (3.5 avg) with 25 touchdowns. He also caught 146 passes for 1,452 yards (9.9 avg) and 8 touchdowns. He was named to one Pro Bowl and led the team in rushing three times.

Unavoidable

-along Reno Road, NW in Washington, DC.

Lowe Wren Jr - Pittsburgh Steelers - DB

Lowe "Junior" Wren sported The Number for one season, 1960, for the Black and Gold. Junior was a defensive back out of the University of Missouri. Junior also sported The Number for 4 years in Cleveland before arriving in Pittsburgh.

James Farrior - LB - Virginia

Look who was sporting The Number back in the day at UVA!

James Farrior, two time Super Bowl champ with the Pittsburgh Steelers, played at the University of Virginia from 1993 to 1996 before being drafted in the first round of the 1997 draft by the New York Jets.

Dick Alban - Pittsburgh Steelers - DB

After having been drafted in the 9th round of the 1952 draft by the Washington Redskins and playing 4 years in Washington, Dick Alban played 4 years for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alban attended Northwestern. He finished his pro career with 30 interceptions. He proudly sported The Number in both Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. which makes him a personal favorite of this blogger.



Alban was born January 17, 1929 in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Random Car

I have no explanation why this random car is driving down Massachusetts Avenue, NW in Washington, DC with a 42 sticker on the back.

Another unavoidable occurrence!

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Section 42 at the Texas Rangers stadium - Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Mariano Rivera - P - New York Yankees

Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, the last major leaguer who sports The Number on a daily basis, warms up with A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) before a Memorial Day 2009 tilt with the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas at Rangers Ballpark.

The Asterisk

The Number represents the asterisk character (*) in the ASCII character code.

ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Computers can only understand numbers, so an ASCII code is the numerical representation of a character such as 'a' or '@' or an action of some sort.

United Nations - Endangered Species - First Day of Issue Cover

First Day Cover of the United Nations Postal Administration issued on April 16, 2009 at the United Nations in New York, New York.

United Nations - Climate Change - First Day of Issue Cover

On 23 October 2008, the United Nations Postal Administration issued six commemorative stamps on the theme “Climate Change”, in the denominations of US$ 0.42, US$ 0.94, CHF 1,20, CHF 1,80, € 0,65 and € 1,15. Shown here is, of course, the US$ 0.42.

The horizontal mini-sheets of 4 stamps have two marginal inscriptions, one in the left margin and one in the right margin. The marginal inscription consists of the United Nations emblem with the text “United Nations” above and the year 2008 below the emblem. In the top margin is the text “Climate Change”. The UNPA logo appears in the upper right and lower left tabs. The words “Photograph by Gary Braasch” appear in the lower right margin. One copyright symbol appears in the lower left margin.

United Nations - We Can End Poverty - First Day of Issue Cover

On 18 September 2008, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued six commemorative stamps and a souvenir card on the theme “We Can End Poverty”.

As part of the activities to celebrate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the end of the First Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), the Department of Economic and Social Affairs invited children from all over the world to participate in an art competition in 2007 on the theme “We Can End Poverty”. Six of the winning entries were selected as stamp designs for the United Nations 2008 “We Can End Poverty” stamp issue.

Shown here is the winner for the stamp that displays The Number.

Flags of Our Nation (Arkansas) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Arkansas) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - June 14, 2008 - Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (California) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (California) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - June 14, 2008 - Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Colorado) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Colorado) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - June 14, 2008 - Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Connecticut) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Connecticut) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - June 14, 2008 - Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Delaware) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Delaware) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - June 14, 2008 - Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Washington, DC) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Washington, DC) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 - Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Georgia) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Georgia) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Florida) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Florida) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Guam) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Guam) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC

Mariano Rivera - P - New York Yankees

Mariano Rivera, of the New York Yankees, is the last major leaguer who sports The Number on a daily basis. When MLB retired The Number across the league in 1997 players who were at the time wearing The Number were allowed to continue wearing The Number. Rivera is the last left.

Here is he shown warming up before the 2006 MLB All-Star game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Orion Nebula (M42 emission nebula)

M42, the great Orion Nebula (M42, NGC 1976) , is about 1,500 light years from Earth and about 30 light years in diameter - it is roughly spherical in shape, composed of gas and dust. The colors seen in long exposure photographic images comes from hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen ionized by the intense energy emitted by the young, bright stars within the cloud. It is also a big object in the sky, extending to over 1 degree in diameter, thus covering more than four times the area of the Full Moon.

M42 and the other emission nebula in the universe are stellar nurseries, where gas and dust are condensing into new stars. M42 was cataloged by French astronomer Charles Messier in 1769. It was the 42nd object cataloged by Messier, thus the designation "M42".

Visually, M42 can be observed with the naked eye in areas with dark skies - it is seen as a fuzzy, gray blob in the middle of the "sword" hanging below the prominent triple star "belt" in the constellation Orion. It can be seen with binoculars even in moderately light-polluted skies, and small amateur telescopes make it out easily from most earthly locations. But the human eye lacks sensitivity to low levels of color, so even with the largest telescopes under the darkest skies the nebula appears to be grey.

Jackie Robinson Day 2009 - Vladimir Guerrero - Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Angels Vladimir Guerrero watches the path of a foul ball against the Seattle Mariners Wednesday, April 15, 2009, during a baseball game in Seattle, Washington.

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Jackie Robinson Day 2009 - Adam LaRoche - Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates' Adam LaRoche, left, rounds the bases in front of Houston Astros third baseman Geoff Blum after hitting a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. It was the only Pirate run scored in the team's 4-1 loss to the Astros.

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Jackie Robinson Day 2009 - Chris Duncan - St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals' Chris Duncan, right, gets a high-five from teammate Joe Thurston after scoring against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 15, 2009, in Phoenix, Arizona.

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Jackie Robinson Day 2009 - Seth Smith - Colorodo Rockies

Colorado Rockies' Seth Smith watches his solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, April 15, 2009.

Jackie Robinson Day 2009 - New York Yankees

Photo by Chris O'Meara/AP

Members of the New York Yankees, including Mark Teixeira, third from right, wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson during the National Anthem before an MLB game against the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday April 15, 2009 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Players, coaches and umpires wore No. 42 on Wednesday to honor Jackie Robinson on the 62nd anniversary of the day he broke major league baseball's color barrier.

Opening Day 2009 in Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Illinois) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Illinois) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Idaho) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Idaho) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Hawaii) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Hawaii) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC

The High Holiday

When you ask? Why of course, today! April 2nd. 4/2

All are encouraged to take the day off and celebrate.

Suggested celebrations...

• give a multiple of 42 to a charity ($4.20, $42, 420, "you pick the amout and 42 cents"; this last option is my favorite)
• eat 42 doughnuts (not suggested)
• drive 42 miles (this will take some research so that you do not go over or have to stop in the middle of nowhere do you don't go over)
• get a giant 42 tattoo on the small of your back

The possibilities are endless. It is just important to celebrate!

Jamelle Horne - F - Arizona

Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images North America

Defiantly sporting The Number, Jamelle Horne of the Arizona Wildcats dunks over the defenseless Seth Tarver and Josh Tarver of the Oregon State Beavers during the 2008 Pacific Life Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on March 12, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

Flags of Our Nation (Indiana) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Indiana) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC

Flags of Our Nation (Iowa) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover

Flags of Our Nation (Iowa) - 42 cent stamp - First Day of Issue Cover - September 2, 2008 -Washington, DC