The number 80 is a journey you have a close acquaintance with, Dad. Despite the obvious pursuits of comfort, job, and family, we know you for a natural ability with physics, a love of the outdoors, and a knack for finding the best whiskey or beer. This article’s for you, Dad, exploring ’80.’
First, let’s do a cost comparison. An average home in 1940 cost $2,938. By inflation alone, a house in Calgary should then cost $49,873. Well, I’m game! Where can I sign for this average priced deal?!? The average cost of a home in Calgary now costs $474,903. By 1940, firewood had been removed from the Canadian Cost-of-Living index as it was no longer part of the majorities’ budgets but vegetable shortening had been added. Vegetable shortening in 1940 cost $0.14, with inflation that’s $2.38. 2020 cost is $2.47 so vegetable shortening’s value is fairly stable. And how about whiskey? Well a fifth of brown booze was $3.60 advertised in a Boston newspaper, which is about 750 ml. That would equate to $61.11. Considering you can get a bottle of Alberta Premium (1.14 L) for about $32, a non-descript wine bottle sized purchase of some unknown brown fire water is pretty steep pricing. So housing used to be more affordable and getting tipsy was a luxury. However, I’m pretty sure many families brewed their own alcoholic concoctions back in 1940 as my grandmothers certainly knew how. Our economy and the one of WW II Canada were vastly different.
My second exploration of the number 80 is going to take a more ethereal turn. World culture and religion have found some special moments for our significant number:
Moses was 80 years old when he challenged Pharaoh to free the children of Israel from the bondages of slavery in ancient Egypt.
In a dream, the number 80 is a symbol of good luck in Greek astrology, signifying divine abundance
In numerology, 80 is a building number; literally buildings that are beneficial to our communities, but also building institutions, roads and infrastructure.
In the Pareto principle, 80 is credited as such: 80% of effects come from 20% of causes.
It will take 80 moves to solve a “15 puzzle.”
Japan had a superhero TV show in the 80’s called “Ultraman 80.”
Jules Verne took us on “Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours,” in English, Around the World in Eighty Days.
An 80 shilling ale in Scotland is an export strength of around 5% abv.
80 is the calling code for Bangalore, India.
Snag, Yukon records the lowest temperature in North American history, below -80 degrees Celsius (-83.02).
80’s Roman numeral is LXXX
80’s Greek numeral is Π, famous for being 'pi' and means unified
80 degrees Fahrenheit is 26.7 degrees Celsius
-80 degrees Celsius is the storage temperature of the first invented Coronavirus vaccine
80 is the atomic number of mercury
80 is my Dad's age today, Happy Eightieth Dad!
Love, Jeannette
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