25 March: 84

Today is the 84^th day of the year. 10 things you might not know about the number 84:

1. +84 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to Vietnam.
2. It’s the atomic number of Polonium, a rare and highly radioactive metal with no stable isotopes.
3. In dominoes, 84 is a version of the game 42, played with two sets of dominoes.
4. Eighty Four is an unincorporated town in Pennsylvania, USA, formerly known as Smithville. Since there was another town nearby with the same name, it was changed to Eighty Four in July 1884. Opinion is divided as to whether the town was named after the year, because it was the year Grover Cleveland became President, or because the postmaster "didn't have a whole lot of imagination." The name could also relate to a mile marker on a nearby railway or that it honours one Major Alexander Cooper Hamilton, who served in Pennsylvania's 84th Voluntary infantry regiment.
5. In 1956, a company was formed in the area which sells building supplies, which was named after the town. The company is called 84 Lumber.
6. It takes Uranus 84 years to orbit the sun.
7. RAF 84 Squadron is a squadron which has been based overseas since 1920, currently at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Its symbol is a Scorpion and its motto is “Scorpions sting.”
8. 84, Charing Cross Road is a 1970 book by Helene Hanff, about her 20 year correspondence with Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks & Co antiquarian booksellers, based at that address. The book has been made into a play and a film.
9. There is no London bus route 84 in the TfL network. There is, however, a number 84 bus, run by a different operator, which links North London to St Albans in Hertfordshire. The buses are red and almost identical to the London buses, until you get on one and discover they won’t take your Oyster Card.
10. In numerology, people influenced by this number are sociable and creative, and may make money from their artistic talents. They will particularly enjoy inspiring and encouraging other artists.

Character birthdays

Firecracker: Derek Thorpe, a biologist who found himself out of work when the lab he worked for closed due to lack of funding. He was forced to take a cleaning job at a nuclear power station. He is able to teleport, fly and shoot energy bolts. The origin of his power is unknown. His expertise made it possible for the whole of Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Lot to gain immunity to fire and explosions. He and his team appear in Who’s That Girl?

Llew Powell, entrepreneur and playboy who owns the Nefertiti entertainment and leisure companies. He is the owner of Combat Team Alpha.

Who's That Girl?

Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.

His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.

A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?

Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?

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