It’s quite a number.
And why exactly are we focusing on 30?!
Because FSTL is turning thirty!
Indeed, it has been 30 years since FSTL was founded and we began our journey in the transcription industry!
That’s quite something… and worth a moment to think about what this milestone means. So we’re going all out to celebrate turning thirty with some weird and wonderful facts about the number 30!
- FSTL… a bit of a cheat but of course we need to begin with ourselves! On this day, 9th January 1990, FSTL was first incorporated as a business.
- Time… 30 is a significant number when it comes to time itself. Just think of a clock face – 360 degrees divided into 12 sections, each of which is 30 degrees.
- And time again… with 30 seconds in a minute and 30 minutes in an hour it’s most definitely integral to the way we mark the passage of time.
- Twins but not as we know it… these babies born in Indiana are indeed twins but are born 30 minutes apart which means they were born in completely different years and decades!
- All about shapes… A 30 sided polygon is called a triacontagon.
- Back to the Future… in this 1980s classic film, Doc sent Marty McFly back 30 years into the past.
- Blink and you’ll miss it… the number of times you blink during a 24 hour period amounts to around 30 minutes of having your eyes closed.
- Bingo lingo… if you’re heading down to the local bingo hall you’ll hear the phrase “Dirty Gertie” when they call out the number 30.
- XXX… we’re not talking content that’s post-watershed but the way that the number 30 is written in Roman numerals.
- Feeling the chemistry… 30 is the atomic number of Zinc.
- Love and marriage… most of us have heard of gold and ruby wedding anniversaries but did you know that being married for 30 years is known as a pearl wedding anniversary?
- Thirty Years War… you guessed it, this one lasted 30 years! Running from 1618 to 1648 it initially began as a battle between Catholic and Protestant states but as it evolved it became more about which group would ultimately govern Europe.
- Expat life… surprisingly New Zealand comes 30th in this list of countries in which expats are most happy.
- Stones at Stonhenge… there were 30 sarsen uprights in the original outer circle and 30 sarsen lintels that sat upon them.
- Retract an email… Gmail has a wonderful facility where you have up to 30 seconds to retract a sent email – perfect for anything sent in error!
- Is there life on…? scientists have recently discovered a solar system 30 light-years away from Earth that defies current understanding about planet formation.
- Did the earth move for you?… apparently the Earth’s magnetic north is shifting at an ‘unprecedented’ rate of 30 miles a year.
- Your land or mine?!… there is 30 metre section of Estonian road that passes through Russian territory. There’s no checkpoint but you’ll be arrested if you stop.
- Baby baby… a 30 day old baby still needs around 14-17 hours sleep a day but will be starting to coo and gurgle to communicate.
- Dial 30… this is the country code you’ll need if you’re calling someone in Greece.
- The Gherkin… this is the informal name of 30 St Mary Axe, the iconic building in the city of London.
- Life expectancy… in a pre-modern, poor world, life expectancy was around 30 years in all regions of the world.
- Childcare… You may be able to get up to 30 hours free childcare (1,140 hours per year, which you can choose how you take) if your child is 3 to 4 years old.
- 30 tracks… on Bob Dylan’s Triplicate album which was released in 2017 as an album of covers of classic American songs.
- Teeth… lions have 30 teeth. Compare that to an average adult human who has 32!
- Canadian Senators… must be a minimum of 30 years of age to be appointed to the Senate. They must also own real property with a net value of $4,000 in the province for which they are appointed.
- Asteroid Day… this is an annual awareness day that happens on 30th June each year to inspire the world about asteroids.
- 30 Days… was an American reality television show on the FX cable network in the United States, created and hosted by Morgan Spurlock.
- Talking of Morgan Spurlock… he was the person behind the documentary Supersize Me, where he set himself the task of living solely on McDonald’s food for 30 days.
- Numerology… the number 30 represents highly creative and social energies.
Who’d have thought it?!
One thing’s for sure we’ll be making the most of turning thirty in 2020 right here at FSTL!