Topical Tens: May 31: 31

Thursday, 31 May 2018

10 things you might not know about the number 31.

31 is a prime number. So are 331, 3331, 33331, 333331, 3333331, and 33333331. However, the next nine numbers of the sequence are not.
31 is the atomic number of gallium, a metal which doesn't occur in its pure form in nature but is found in trace amounts in Zinc ores and in bauxite. When isolated, it is a soft, silvery blue metal at standard temperature and pressure.
The number 31 is mentioned 4 times in the Bible. One example is the number of kings defeated by the incoming Israelite settlers in Canaan according to Joshua 12:24: "all the kings, one and thirty".
There are 31 letters in the Cyrillic (Russian) and Macedonian alphabets.
On a roulette wheel, the number 31 is a Black number and sits between the black numbers 14 and 9 on a European table and 18 and 19 on an American table.
31 is a 2016 horror film directed by Rob Zombie, in which a group of carnival workers are kidnapped.
Trente et un is French for 31. It's also an expression in that language for a well-dressed person.
According to Hindu texts, the god Pradjapati created the universe by articulating the odd numbers from 1 to 31.
There is a card game called 31 in which the object of the game is to assemble a hand in which the card values total 31.
The longest reigning Pope, Pope Pius IX, reigned for 31 years (and seven months) from June 16, 1846 to February 7, 1878.

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