numbers: 9
Today is 9 December.
The word "noon" originally meant the ninth hour of the day (which was roughly 3pm, nine hours after dawn).
Nine is also the number of:
gallons of saliva secreted daily by
an average horse;
hours it takes an army ant to walk
a mile;
milligrams of rat droppings
allowed in a kilo of wheat in the US.
"The Book of Numbers" by William Hartston is now in the shops at pounds 9.99, published by Richard Cohen Books.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies