22 February: 53

Today is the  53rd day of the year. 10 things you might not know about the number 53:

1. Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. Iodine is a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions. It melts to form a deep violet liquid at 114 °C (237 °F), and boils to form a violet gas at 184 °C (363 °F). It was discovered by the French chemist Bernard Courtois in 1811.
2. 53 is the racing number of Herbie, a fictional Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own, first appearing in the 1968 film The Love Bug.
3. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, the Grinch says he's put up with the Whos' Christmas cheer for 53 years.
4. In America, the first ever Thanksgiving was celebrated by 53 pilgrims.
5. According to the History Channel, 53 was a significant number in the WWII battle for Iwo Jima in 1945. Task Force 53 brought the 71,000 soldiers and 41,000 marines. The officer commanding the Japanese troops was Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, age 53. The average height of a Japanese infantryman was 5'3".
6. +53 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to Cuba.
7. There are 53 beads in a standard Catholic Rosary.
8. 53 More Things To Do In Zero Gravity is a book mentioned in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
9. There will be 53 Sundays in a year if it starts on a Sunday in a non-leap year (as is the case in 2023), or if either of the first two days is a Sunday during a leap year.
10. In numerology, people influenced by 53 are realistic and efficient. They have good business sense and will pursue their chosen goals regardless of what anyone else thinks. They are curious, creative and mentally sharp.

Character birthdays

Whirlwind and Sky Wolf are Tilly and Elliott Wulfson, the twin offspring of Bluebird and Wolf of the Raiders. They live in the Infinitus dimension. Sky Wolf inherited his parents’ powers – wings and hypersenses and a telepathic link with two tame wolves. Tilly was born without any powers but as a teenager she and a friend ran away to Portal Island, where the wormhole to our dimension is located, and travelled through it in order to gain powers. Tilly gained the ability to manipulate winds. They have not yet appeared in a published story.