19 April: 109

Today is the 109^th day of the year, 10 facts about the number 109:

1. 109 is a Department store in Tokyo, Japan. The store is operated by SHIBUYA109 Entertainment Corporation, a subsidiary of the Tokyu Group.
2. Lift 109 is an attraction in London where you can take a lift up one of the chimneys of Battersea Power Station for stunning views of London.
3. It’s the atomic number of Meitnerium, a synthetic chemical element with the symbol Mt. It is an extremely radioactive element not found in nature, but can be created in a laboratory.
4. The Sun is just over 109 times the diameter of the Earth.
5. The pipe organ at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris has 109 stops.
6. London bus route 109 runs between Katharine Street and Brixton Station.
7. In the movie Escape From Alcatraz, 109 is the cell number assigned to Frank L. Morris, played by Clint Eastwood.
8. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the most-produced fighter aircraft in history.
9. When chilled below minus 109°F, CO2 becomes a solid, called dry ice.
10. In numerology, 109 indicates self-determination and independence. Those influenced by the number are comfortable alone, and like to explore and experience new things. However, they do feel connected to humanity as a whole and goals are likely to be humanitarian ones.

Character birthdays

Dynamite and Lightwave, twins who are members of the G-Men group of superheroes. They are both small in stature with variant powers. Dynamite causes explosions ans Lightwave create illusions. They were separated at birth and reunited as teens through the efforts of social worker Rosemary Ellis, aka Shadow of the G-Men. They appear in Running in the Family.

Running in the Family

An alien craft approaches Earth. The alien on board is a fugitive, fleeing from an arranged marriage to freedom on our world. She befriends James, a genetics student, and shares her knowledge about the future of the human race with him. 

A science experiment gone wrong gifts James with superhuman abilities; but they come at a price, leading him to mentor others like himself. He founds a group of amateur heroes called the Freedom League.

The Freedom League suffers a string of losses and tragedies; it seems doomed to failure; but one of its members, Peter Mayfield, has vowed to form a group of his own. He is determined to keep his vow, despite having lost Rosemary, the one person he wanted by his side to help him.

Lizzie Hopkins is a talented young athlete and dancer. Peter sees her in action and guesses her exceptional abilities are far more than they seem. He offers to train and mentor Lizzie - but her mother is violently opposed to his suggestion.

As soon as she is old enough, Lizzie takes matters into her own hands; she seeks out Peter and his group for herself. She soon makes a discovery which shakes her world at its very foundations. Her search for the truth will resolve many unanswered questions, but it will also stir up old heartbreaks dating back to the Freedom League's early days.

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