15 July: 196

Today is the 196^th day of the year. 10 fun facts about the number 196:

1. Highway Code rule 196 is about Pelican crossings. “These are signal-controlled crossings where flashing amber follows the red ‘Stop’ light. You MUST stop when the red light shows. When the amber light is flashing, you MUST give way to any pedestrians on the crossing. If the amber light is flashing and there are no pedestrians on the crossing, you may proceed with caution.”

2. In London, the 196 bus runs between Elephant & Castle and Norwood Junction Station.

3. Kosmos 196 was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was used to study the effects of solar activity on the upper atmosphere.

4. The year 196 was a leap year starting on Thursday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Dexter and Messalla.

5. 196 Philomela is a large and bright main-belt asteroid discovered by C. H. F. Peters in 1879, and named after Philomela, the woman who became a Nightingale in Greek mythology.

6. The A196 is a road in England which runs between Morpeth and Ashington.

7. The Jordan 196 was the car with which the Jordan team competed in the 1996 Formula One season. It was driven by Rubens Barrichello.

8. USA-196 is an American navigation satellite which forms part of the Global Positioning System.

9. 196 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron originally formed as a training unit during World War I. It was active during World War II in Nos. 3, 4 and 38 Group RAF. It served first as a bomber squadron and later as an airborne support and transport unit.

10. In numerology the energy of 196 is introspective and self-reliant. A person influenced by the energy is likely to be intuitive and interested in the study of both scientific and spiritual subjects. This is the kind of person who is happy studying nature on their own and writing down their conclusions. They may also engage in humanitarian works.

Character birthday

Giant is a supersized human from the Infinitus dimension. Due to a growth hormone deficiency which healers in his native Classica had no means to treat, he grew much larger than normal. He ran away from home having heard there was a race of people elsewhere on the continent who were naturally much taller than normal and set out to find them. He took work on a ship, where his superior height and strength was an asset. Hence he was at Bird Island when the Innovians set off their nuclear bomb, which opened a wormhole to Earth. As a result of wormhole travel, Giant became even bigger and stronger. His arrival on Earth coincided with Llew Powell’s search for fighters for his combat team, and he recruited Giant and the crew mate he was travelling with (Sparrow Hawk) to Combat Team Alpha.