After Adams wrote “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” the number “42” assumed mythical and mystical connotations amongst sci-fi fans. After murdering a guard he spent 42 years in solitary confinement in different prisons. In east Asia, including parts of China, tall buildings often avoid having a 42nd floor because of tetraphobia – fear of the number four because the words "four" and "death" sound the same (si or sei). The plot for the six episodes leapt very much wherever Adams wanted to go on the day, but led to a pivotal gag that went like this; a giant computer called Deep Thought, having spent exactly 7.5m years pondering on Life, the Universe and Everything finally and solemnly announces that the Ultimate Answer is . And one original idea in The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, first broadcast as a radio comedy in 1978, has developed a life quite unlike any other joke, before or since. Throughout traditional media, on social media, in casual conversation, and other areas of culture, 42 enjoys use as a light-hearted allusion and in-joke among fans of Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. For instance, if users search for “the answer to the life the … blasdel on Apr 20, 2010...or it doesn't need a name. A common question about Douglas Adams’ famous Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is just why Adams chose the number 42 as the answer to life, the universe and everything. The band Level 42 chose their name in recognition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and not – as is often repeated – after the world's tallest car park. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Well as most people know, the “answer” to this question (in the Hitchhikers universe) is 42. Several theories have circulated and a few of these Adams selected for deflation; the idea that he had been paying tribute to Lewis Carroll, who also used the number; that he had been joking in a base 13 number system; or that it was an obscure reference to the traditional number of rulers of Tibet. As the book's title suggests, Adams, like most authors, was not afraid to borrow, and there are revealing similarities between Welsh's Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Adams was born in Cambridge in 1952 and christened Douglas Noel. The Doctor Who episode entitled "42" lasts for 42 minutes. 3. People who have never heard of Douglas Adams know it. Author Douglas Adams, who wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has died suddenly aged 49. Justin Andress The Moorgate Tube disaster of 1975 killed 42 passengers. The book is timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Adams's death this spring. Fox Mulder's apartment in the US TV series The X Files was number 42. 7. 40. MaysonL on Apr 20, 2010. Adams – who died, aged 49, 10 years ago this May – had launched the world's greatest universal joke. The three best-selling music albums – Michael Jackson's Thriller, AC/DC's Back in Black and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon – last 42 minutes. “42” Is the meaning of life, the universe and everything. The Bell-X1 rocket plane Glamorous Glennis piloted by Chuck Yeager, first broke the sound barrier at 42,000 feet. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy was the brainchild of author and scriptwriter Douglas Adams. Best Western is the world's largest hotel chain with more than 4,200 hotels in 80 countries. Some propose that it was chosen because 42 is 101010 in binary code, others have pointed out that light refracts through a water surface by 42 degrees to create a rainbow, and others have commented that light requires 10−42 seconds to cross the diameter of a proton. 42. Google's doodle celebrates 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' author Douglas Adams. I typed it out. It's the number of generations between Abraham and Jesus. How did the author Douglas Adams come up with the number as The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything? has been an enjoyable part of the enigma. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (Dirk Gently, #2) by Douglas Adams, Wilson McLean … 31. The wonder horse Nijinsky was 42 months old in 1970 when he became the last horse to win the English Triple Crown: the Derby; the 2000 Guineas and the St Leger. 30. For instance some people believed disinfectant injected into the … There have been many theories from fans in an attempt to explain why the number 42 was chosen, and what secret meaning it may hold. 5. Photograph: c.Touchstone/Everett / Rex Features/EVT. Mr Adams died on Friday morning in Santa Barbara, California, following a heart attack, said his spokeswoman Sophie Astin. {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, 42: The answer to life, the universe and everything. Douglas Adams, in full Douglas Noël Adams, (born March 11, 1952, Cambridge, Eng.—died May 11, 2001, Santa Barbara, Calif., U.S.), British comic writer whose works satirize contemporary life through a luckless protagonist who deals ineptly with societal forces beyond his control.Adams is best known for the mock science-fiction series known collectively as The … On page 42 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry discovers he's a wizard. To fully illustrate the absurdity of thinking a computer can calculate the meaning of life for you. 26. 1. 29. 36,525+365+31+31+31+31+30 is the maximum numbers of days that can be described by that word description under the Julian or Gregorian calendars, since there are no consecutive stretches of five months with all of them 31 days. In an episode of The Simpsons, police chief Wiggum wakes up to a question aimed at him and replies "42". The result of the most famous game in English football – the world cup final of 1966 – was 4-2. There are 42 US gallons in a barrel of oil. Raphael on Apr 21, 2010. The author became a household name when the cult science fiction novel was turned into a BBC TV series. 16. A numeric answer makes perfect sense to a computer, and is of no value at all to a human. 56 base 13 is 42 in base 10. The office of Google's chief executive Eric Schmidt is called Building 42 of the firm's San Francisco complex. The list could go on. On page 42 of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jonathan Harker discovers he is a prisoner of the vampire. . A page for describing creator: Join douglas adams's hapless hero arthur dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal ford prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. The … but this coincidence is on page 42. 2. . Douglas Adams said it was the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. 14. According to Douglas Adams the famous author of The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy 42 is the answer to everything. He meant it as a joke, but a new book shows how the number 42 has played a significant role in history, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. If you know The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, then you also know the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. "The answer to this is very simple," Adams said. 42,000 balls were used at Wimbledon last year. 4. The type 42 vacuum tube was one of the most popular audio output amplifiers of the 1930s. 27. 41. There are so many answers, some people believe any answer. 33. . Adams was ever meticulous in his choice of words and numbers, and it's safe to say it wasn't a random pick. . Douglas Adams married Jane Belson on November 24 1991 and they have a daughter by the name Polly Jane, born on June 22, 1994. "Dear Ken," he began. In the radio series and the first novel, a group of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings demand to learn the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything from the supercomputer Deep Thought, specially built for this purpose. Famous and notable instances are lovingly prized; the world's first modern book was Gutenberg's 42-line bible and the US national anthem is about an historic 42ft star-spangled banner. End of story.". Binary representations, base 13, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. Atheism aside, Douglas Adams had a religious funeral. Six times nine - mentioned in another Adams book - makes 42 in base 13, which is, of course, six plus seven. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. 20. The British novelist Douglas Adams, best known for “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” would have been 64 today. Fans of Douglas Adams know it. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs was created in 1942. To quote Douglas Adams, "I may be sad, but I don't make jokes in base 13.". It was written by him and Karey Kirkpatrick (who re-wrote the script after Adams had died). DOUGLAS ADAMS BOOKS INTO MOVIES/TV “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” was made into a movie in the year 2005. The world's first book printed with movable type is the Gutenberg Bible which has 42 lines per page. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. 39. The number 42 is, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything", calculated by an enormous supercomputer named Deep Thought over a period of 7.5 million years. Many have posited why Adams chose 42. Another celebrated use is 42 Wallaby Way – the address on the diving mask in Pixar's Finding Nemo. 42 is the age Douglas Adams baby was born. Likewise, four 14, 24, etc. In it, comedian Griff Rhys Jones mentions the 42nd meeting of the Crawley and District Paranoid Society. There are the influential friends as well – both Google's HQ and Cern's Large Hadron Collider have office complexes named for the number. / But how did douglas adams come up with that number?. Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has 42 illustrations. 12. I sat on my desk, stared in to the garden and thought 42 will do. Often you hear it as a simple namecheck, a gently conclusive "Douglas Adams", said whenever a spontaneous 42 is seen as a seat number, a restaurant table, or a homework answer. Curiously, Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe had told of visitors to the UK searching for family roots finding "the answer a little disappointing" – after travelling around the world in search of "the solution to the most puzzling question of all". Geeks have since wasted years and massive effort trying to ascribe some deep, symbolic significance to the number and its occurrences. There are 42 principles of Ma'at, the ancient Egyptian goddess – and concept – of physical and moral law, order and truth. It seems that Douglas Adams was right after all: the answer to Life, the Universe and everything, is 42. When Douglas Adams wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, he added a central joke which has become more famous over the years than the novel itself: "The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42." ." 8. 2. In 1997 Douglas signed a deal with Disney to make a feature movie, and he immediately started working on the screenplay. Here are 42 things to fuel their fascination with the number 42. Dodi Fayed was 42 when he was killed alongside Princess Diana. Then what was it based in? In any case, it turned out to be deeply moving and respectful of DNA’s opinions nonetheless… More Readings : Scores of adolescents have posited theories about significance of the number. Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert died aged 42; they had 42 grandchildren and their great-grandson, Edward VIII, abdicated at the age of 42. Others post lists of favourite 42s, snap "42" photos, or enjoy throwing a 42nd birthday party (Pink Floyd performed on stage with Adams for his special day). Meanwhile, millions of Hitchhiker's fans to this day persist in trying to decipher what they imagine was Adams' secret motivations. 42 is the favourite number of Dr House, the American television doctor played by Hugh Laurie. 1. Keeping the idea safe, Adams hitched to Istanbul before returning to England for three years as a Cambridge student, where he became an underachieving comedy writer and performer. Would he have approved? 17. In a nine-year period he defined a total of 42,777 words. In the Book of Revelation, it is prophesised that the beast will hold dominion over the earth for 42 months. The first time Douglas Adams essayed the number 42 was in a sketch called "The Hole in the Wall Club". DOUGLAS ADAMS AWARDS “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1979, but did not win. 42 pops up as a clever allusion—and tribute—to Douglas Adams’s book in popular culture. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (sometimes referred to as HG2G, HHGTTG, H2G2, or tHGttG) is a comedy science fiction series created by Douglas Adams.Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it was later adapted to other formats, including stage shows, novels, comic books, a 1981 TV series, a 1984 video game, and 2005 feature film.. ... how did douglas adams come up with 42 it does n't need a name most common element in whole., USA also know the answer to Life, the universe and everything for `` why 42 the. Tube was one of these provides perhaps the most popular audio output amplifiers of the Simpsons, police chief wakes... 'S spaceship is named 42 connotations amongst sci-fi fans the Gutenberg Bible which has 42 illustrations with the of. 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