There are only 3 days left in 2015

28 is 4 x 7 (more later)

28 is the sum of the first natural numbers. 1+2+3+4+5+6+7 = 28
28 is the sum of the first primes. 2+3+5+7+11 = 28
28 is the sum of the first non-primes 1+4+6+8+9 = 28
28 is the only known number that can can be expressed as all 3 of the above sums. 
   For example 36 is also the sum of the first natural numbers (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8), 
   but not a sum of first primes or first non-primes. 10 is the sum of the first 
   primes (2+3+5) and natural numbers (1+2+3+4) but not the first non-primes (1+4+6).

28 is the atomic mass of Silicon
28 is the atomic number of Nickel
28 is the number of days in the average human menstrual cycle.
28 is the number of days in February in a normal year
28 is the number of dominoes in a standard domino set
28 is the number of grams in an ounce

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Holy Shit, Batman, 28 is 4 x 7! Accordingly, x/28, whenever x =4n, is the same as n/7 which gets us back to the freaky repeating decimal (0.142857) discussed on the 7th, the 14th and the 21st. The decimal part of n/7 where n is a natural number not a multiple of 999,999 or 7 is the remainder x 0.142857 repeated on out to infinity. n/14 has similar rules, as does n/21, and n/28 which is, for example ...

1/28 = 0.0357142857142857 & repeat 142857 indefinitely
2/28 = 1/14 = 0.07142857142857 & repeat 142857 indefinitely
3/28 = 0.107142857142857 & repeat 142857 indefinitely
4/28 = 1/7 = 0.142857142857 & repeat 142857 indefinitely 
5/28 = 0.17857142857 & repeat 142857 indefinitely

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28 BCE
Year of the First Consulship of Octavian and Agrippa
The earliest dated record of a sunspot by Chinese astronomers on May 10. 


28 CE
The Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Caesar

On December 28 in:
1612 -- Galileo Galilei became the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, but mistakenly 
        catalogued it as a fixed star.
1835 -- Osceola led his Seminole warriors into the Second Seminole War against the United States.
1836 -- Spain recognized the independence of Mexico.
1867 -- The U. S. claimed Midway Atoll, the first territory annexed outside continental limits.
1895 -- Wilhelm Röntgen published a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, 
        later called x-rays.
1972 -- Kim Il-sung, already Prime Minister of North Korea and First Secretary of the Workers' 
        Party of Korea, becme the first President of North Korea.
1973 -- The Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States.
2000 -- U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announced it is going out of business after 128 years.
2010 -- Popular protests against the government begin in Algeria; the start of the Arab Spring.


The following people were born on this day in:
1856 -- Woodrow Wilson, American historian and politician, 28th President of the United States, 
        Nobel Prize laureate.
1882 -- Arthur Eddington, English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician.
1903 -- Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader.
1915 -- Pops Staples, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Staple Singers).
1921 -- Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter and producer. 
1948 -- Mary Weiss, American singer (The Shangri-Las).
1950 -- Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer 
        (The Box Tops and Big Star).
1969 -- Linus Torvalds, Finnish-American computer programmer, developed Linux kernel.


The following people died on this day in:
1503 -- Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler. Unfortunately
1937 -- Maurice Ravel, French pianist and composer.
1947 -- Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. King during WWI, WWII, and the rise and fall of Mussolini's 
        Fascist state.
1963 -- Paul Hindemith, German violinist, composer, and conductor.
1983 -- Dennis Wilson, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (The Beach Boys).
1992 -- Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach. Sal "the Barber".
1993 -- William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian.
2004 -- Susan Sontag, American author and academic.

Today's musical assortment is a serious mismatch in many respects, but here we go:

Earl "Fatha" Hines:

The Shangri Las:

Maurice Ravel - Bolero

Paul Hindemith: (Modern Classical)

Pops Staples a major figure deserving his own article - The Staples Singers:

The Box Tops

The Beach Boys, who never played Surf Music. They played "The California Sound" (think Jan and Dean). Later on they replaced hot rod themed lyrics with surf themed lyrics, but still played "little Deuce Coupe" - "Be True To Your School" music, using none the the stylistic and musical attributes of real surf music (think "Walk don't Run", "Pipeline", "Agua Caliente", Wipe-Out", etc.). And that's that, so help me Rhonda. Rant mode off.

Johnny Otis deserves a huge article. Singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, bandleader, disc jockey, producer, and more.
From his website: http://www.johnnyotisworld.com/biography.html

Johnny Otis discovered many legendary Rhythm and Blues singers such as Esther Phillips, Willie Mae "Big Momma" Thornton, Etta James, and the Robins (who later evolved into the Coasters), all of whom were at one time featured vocalists in his band. He also discovered Sugar Pie DeSanto, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Jackie Wilson, and Little Willie John. He produced, and with his band played on the original recording of "Hound Dog" with "Big Momma" Thornton. He produced and played on Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love", and produced some of Little Richard's earliest recordings. On his own Blues Spectrum lable, Johnny recorded and played with Rhythm & Blues pioneers such as Big Joe Turner, Gatemouth Moore, Amos Milburne, Richard Berry, Joe Liggins, Roy Milton, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Charles Brown, and Louis Jordan. Johnny played the drums on Charles Brown's first major hit "Driftin' Blues" in 1946. He also recorded with Illinois Jacquet, and Lester Young. One of the many highlights of his long career was when he performed as a drummer with the great Count Basie Orchestra.

Himself, early:

And later:

Big Mama's Hound Dog (Johnny Otis arrangement)

Little Esther (and the Johnny Otis Quintet)

Little Esther (Johnny Otis Orchestra)

The Robins in the slammer

and Down at Smokey Joe's

Anybody up for Etta?

with the weather report

Sugar Pie DeSanto:

in her soulful dress.

Etta & Sugar Pie: