Opinion: A dozen numerical curiosities for Diana Ross's birthday

By Aziz Inan | March 27, 2019 9:50am
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Music legend Diana Ross turned 75 on March 26th.
Media Credit: Wikimedia Commons / The Beacon

Diana Ross is an American singer, actress, and record player who rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal girl group the Supremes during the 1960s [1].

In 1976, Ross was named the “Female Entertainer of the Century” by Billboard magazine.

In 1993, the Guinness Book of World declared Ross the most successful female music artist in history, due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any female artist in the charts, with a career total of 70 hit songs with her work with the Supremes and as a solo artist.

In 2016, Ross received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Ross has influenced many artists including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Questlove, Ledisi and the Ting Tings.

This week, March 26, 2019 marks Ross’s 75th birthday and I constructed the following dozen numerical birthday curiosities in her honor:

1. If Ross’s 75th birthday, 3/26/2019, is split as 3, 26 and 2019, 3 times the difference between 26 square and 3 yields 2019.


2. Ross’s birthday always coincides with the 85th day of a non-leap year (e.g., her 75th birthday). Note that the difference of the digits of 85 gives 3, the month number of Ross’s birthday and twice the sum of the digits of 85 yields 26, her birthday’s day number.


3. If numbers 1 to 26 are assigned to letters A to Z, the sum of the letter numbers of Diana and Ross each equal 29 and 71, respectively. Interestingly, the difference of the reverses of 29 and 71, namely 92 and 17, equals 75, Ross’s new age.


4. Additionally, the sum of 92 and 17 equals 109, 109 is the 29th prime number, and again, 29 is the sum of the letter numbers of Diana.


5. Twice the sum of the reverse of 29 (Diana), namely 92, and 71 (Ross) equals 326, Ross’s birth date, 3/26.


6. The sum of 3 and 26, the month and day numbers of Ross’s birthday, equals 29 (Diana).


7. Further, the sum of the digits of Ross’s birthday, 3/26/1944, equals 29 too.


8. Moreover, if 3/26/1944 is split as 3, 26, 19 and 44, these four numbers add up to 92, and again, 92 is the reverse of 29 (Diana).


9. The sum of the squares of the digits of 29 equals 85 and again, Ross’s birthday always coincides with the 85th day of a non-leap year.


10. Also, the reverse of 85, namely 58, equals twice 29 (Diana).


11. Ross’s 100th birthday will coincide with the 86th day of 2044 and the sum of the squares of the digits of 86 equals 100.


12. Lastly, Ross’s 100th birthday in 2044 will also be special because the letter numbers of Diana Ross adds up to 100.

Happy 75th birthday, Diana Ross!

[1] Diana Ross, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Ross

Aziz Inan is chair and professor teaching in the electrical engineering program of Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering at University of Portland and he can be reached at ainan@up.edu.

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