When you folks plunk some bucks onto the counter of the local 7-11convenience store, how do you choose your number? Some use one that involves the birthdate of their first girlfriend. I’m told that one guy used the coordinates of his place of birth. Just about everyone must have a lucky number.
Me? the last and only time I ever made a money donation to a lottery grab was September 21975. Never again! The only gambling I still do started in about 1955. I gambled that my attempt at hitchhiking would result in a ride. “Gagnant!” I’ve been successful at hitchhiking ever since.
The most recent was in September of 2024. Unfortunately, our canoeing from the Trillium Drive boat launch to Ingleside ended just after sunset. I gambled that I’d get a ride back to my truck. “Gagnant!” Again, I won!
Since the topic of this week’s column was supposed to be ‘NUMBERS’, I’d better get back to it.

I’m sure you’ve flown in jet airliners such as the Boeing 747‘Jumbo Jet’, or Boeing’s other airliners, the 707, 737…787. The founder of the Boeing Aircraft Company was William E. Boeing. Ever wonder about all those 7s? He obviously believed that his lucky number was seven. My theory is that because his first name had seven letters, his airliners would be lucky if they had a seven in them. Just try to prove me wrong!
Even his first airliner, the pre- WW II 307 Stratoliner had a seven in its designation. His post-war 377 Stratocruiser had two. His 777 (first flight: 1994) has three! Its registration was N7771!
After all that, you must admit that I’m right about Boeing’s penchant for sevens. The de Havilland of Canada’s turbo-prop airliner, the DHC-7, is the only one of their many types I have not yet acquired a flight. It would be my 362nd different type.
William E. wasn’t the only one obsessed with sevens. The Romans had VII. Rome has its Seven Hills. The Seven Seas are even older than those hills. Even the Seven Wonders of the World pre-dated Rome’s seven. Far earlier than that, God knew well enough to rest on the seventh day. Then came the Christian Church, with its list of Seven Deadly Sins we should avoid, the Seven Precepts and the Seven Virtues.
Of course, the modern world has its penchant for sevens too: Canada came up with its Group of Seven landscape artists (but Tom Thompson was not one of them.) Seven days a week, we have the 7-11 convenience stores that sell us cans of 7up and bottles of Heinz 57 ketchup.
Have you noticed that your car’s V.I.N. has seven numerals? Take a look at most of Ontario’s car licence plates? Seven characters: 4+3 =7: four letters, followed by three numerals. Non-military ships have a permanent IMO number, which is displayed at their stern: seven numerals. The grounded bulk carrier Tim S Dool’s IMO is 6800919.
That’s about it for this week. In just seven more days this “Dances With Words” will be ready for your cat’s litter box.