There’s an abundance of that number in just about every culture. The following are but a few examples.
According to Genesis, in the beginning there was water, so I’ll begin my exploration of sevens with the so-called ‘Modern Seven Seas’. Most geographers list them as being the Arctic, Atlantic (North and South), Indian and Pacific (North and South). But the French (who don’t allow right turns on red lights on Montreal island, and who are about the only jurisdiction (I won’t call them a ‘nation’) that insists there’s an ‘Antarctic’ Ocean. They should take a look at a globe. Their ‘Océan Arctic’ just ain’t there.
In religions and Scripture, sevens abound. Included are the seven days of the creation week (Genesis 2), Sabbath as a day of rest (Exodus 20), the Jewish Menorah has seven candles (Exodus 25), the seven plagues (Exodus 7), times to forgive (Matthew 18) and the Seventh Day Adventists.
Religions are obsessed with sins, the Seven Deadly Sins. Here are the contemporary Seven Deadly Sins: lobbing Tim’s cups out of the car window, speeding in residential areas, posting drivel on Facebook, believing everything we see on the Internet, not returning the shopping cart to the corral, putting the toilet paper tongue against the wall and not signaling turns.
There are many versions of the list of the seven best aircraft of all time. Here’s mine, in alphabetical order by manufacturer. First (and biggest in the list) is the Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ It brought air travel to the masses. Next, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk (44,000 made, and still in production!) The DHC-2 Beaver is often called ‘The pickup truck of the North. The Douglas DC-3/factory C-47 Skytrain / Dakota served in peace and war. Next, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules: it’s still in production. The first rolled out of a California factory in 1954. Number six is the Piper J-3 (simple, nimble, affordable, recognizable…)
By hook, but not by crook, but rarely by forking over any cash, I’ve managed to get flights in each of those types.
There’s a tie for the seventh in my list, the North American P-51 Mustang (long range, durable, versatile) vs. the Supermarine Spitfire (nimble, beautiful, invaluable). That tie will be broken when I manage to scrounge a flight in one of those magnificent machines.
Might there be a reader out there who can provide the connection I need?
