A friend, NJ, recently sent me a curious observation that she thought might be prophetic.
A friend, NJ, recently sent me a curious observation that she thought might be prophetic. She noted:
- World War I began on 28/7/1914 → 28+7+19+14 = 68
- World War II began on 1/9/1939 → 1+9+19+39 = 68
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on 24/2/2022 → 24+2+20+22 = 68
Was this an astonishing pattern—or mere coincidence?
Two of my readers, both people of considerable erudition though with very different worldviews, weighed in with strong but contrasting reactions.
The Believer’s Interpretation
MGJ, a believer, quickly embraced the “prophetic” possibility. He connected the pattern to the old fascination with Biblical numerology.
His argument:
- Roman numerals I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), and D (500) add up to 666, the infamous “number of the beast.”
- Biblically, the number six symbolizes humanity.
- The Treaty of Rome (1957), which created the European Economic Community, was signed by six nations—another “prophetic” alignment.
From this, MGJ drew the conclusion that perhaps a deceptive world leader—“the Antichrist”—will arise out of the European Union. For him, these coincidences were not just curiosities but warnings, evidence that we live in dangerous, possibly “end times.”
The Rational Counterargument
SB, a secular thinker, took a completely different approach. Instead of searching for hidden prophecy, he asked a simple, rational question: How often do such sums to 68 actually occur?
His answer: constantly.
He demonstrated that in 1914 alone, there were nine dates whose numbers added up to 68. In 1915, there were ten. In 1916, eleven. By 1917, twelve such dates occurred every year—continuing until 1936. Then the pattern tapered off, only to reappear in the 21st century.
In fact, between 1917 and 1936 alone, there were 372 dates adding to 68. In the 2000s so far, there have been another 126 such dates.
SB concluded, quite rationally, that this phenomenon is as common as rainy days. To claim that war is foretold by dates summing to 68 is no more meaningful than to say war is foretold by rain.
Why Numerology Fails
The difference between the two reactions could not be starker. One leaned into prophecy, weaving coincidences into a cosmic narrative. The other applied simple arithmetic and revealed the banality of the pattern.
This is the essence of the divide between superstition and rationality. Numerology is tempting because it gives an illusion of hidden order in a chaotic world. But its “patterns” collapse under scrutiny. Numbers, by their nature, can be combined in countless ways to create coincidences. When millions of dates exist across centuries, some of them will appear to align with major events.
To attribute wars, disasters, or politics to numbers is to abandon reason. It is to prefer mystical comfort over evidence and logic.
The Verdict
The fact that the world’s most devastating wars share the number 68 in their starting dates is, at most, an amusing curiosity. Nothing more.
To treat it as prophecy is to confuse coincidence with causation. Rational inquiry demands that we resist such magical thinking. If we are to face the genuine challenges of our time—climate change, war, authoritarianism—we cannot afford to distract ourselves with the false certainty of numerology.
In the end, the choice remains the same as Shakespeare framed it: to be or not to be rational. 