Buzz
Codes like 007, 911, 419, 420, and 404 are frequently encountered. 007 is forever linked with the legendary spy, James Bond. 911 is the emergency number in the United States, while 999 serves as its counterpart in the UK. 419 is associated with scams, 420 is tied to marijuana culture, and the notorious 404 often signals a missing or outdated webpage link.
10007
007 is synonymous with the iconic fictional spy, James Bond. Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond series, was originally a reporter who later became a writer and worked with British naval intelligence during WWII. He chose Bond's name after a real-life ornithologist with the same name. Although Fleming never met the actual James Bond, he liked the name because it matched the mundane persona he envisioned for his spy.
Despite being fictional, James Bond gained more popularity than his real-life counterpart, who even faced trouble at an airport when authorities mistakenly thought he’d forged his identity. Bond’s iconic code, 007, is derived from 0070, the number assigned by Germany to a series of messages that triggered the notorious Zimmermann telegram incident. The Zimmermann telegram was a series of communications exchanged between Germany and its embassy in Mexico, encouraging Mexico to engage in war against the United States, while also revealing Germany's plans to utilize submarines to sink US ships.
9911.
The tragic death of Catherine Genovese on March 13, 1964, is often cited as a key example of the “bystander effect” — when individuals fail to act in a crisis because they assume someone else will. Despite at least 12 witnesses to the murder, no one intervened to help her.
During the time of Catherine Genovese’s murder, the United States lacked a centralized emergency number. People had to dial private lines for the police or rush to the police station in person to report emergencies. The police often failed to respond to calls, and when they did, they sometimes advised callers to ignore situations that didn't concern them. In fact, when Genovese was being murdered, a man dialed the police, but no one answered the call.
Although the murder of Genovese was just one of the many killings in New York in 1964, it garnered significant attention. The widespread public outcry that followed this event led to the establishment of the 911 emergency system and the implementation of 'Good Samaritan' laws across all states. These laws offer protection to individuals who attempt to assist others, shielding them from legal consequences if their efforts inadvertently worsen the situation.
8419.
The term '419' refers to fraudulent schemes, especially those involving scam emails. These emails, typically financial requests promising fake rewards, are often referred to as 'Nigerian prince scams' due to their origins in Nigeria. While the concept of 419 fraud predates email communication, with such scams being carried out through letters, telex, and fax, they became prominent in the 1990s when unemployed Nigerian graduates began sending deceptive letters to businessmen in Nigeria and later to their counterparts in the United States and Western Europe.
The name '419' comes from section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, which addresses fraud. According to this section, anyone who deceives someone to unlawfully acquire their property with the intent to defraud is subject to imprisonment for three to seven years. Although the origins of 419 fraud lie in Nigeria, the practice of sending fraudulent emails has expanded globally, involving criminal gangs with various operations spread across Africa and Eastern Europe.
7999.
999 is the emergency number used in the UK, similar to the American 911. It was implemented on June 30, 1937, following the tragic deaths of five women in a house fire two years earlier. Prior to its introduction, people had to send telegrams to the police or physically visit the station to report emergencies. Alternatively, they could dial '0' to reach their phone exchange and request the operator connect them to emergency services like the police, ambulance, or fire department.
However, during the fire, many were unable to contact emergency services because the phone lines were overwhelmed. Following the push for a universal emergency number, it was decided that the number chosen should be easy to remember, even in situations like being surrounded by smoke. Although several other numbers were proposed, most were discarded for various reasons.
The number 111 was dismissed due to the possibility of being dialed accidentally by malfunctioning phones, 222 was tied to the Abbey telephone exchange, and dialing 000 would have connected callers to the exchange operator. Initially, the 999 number faced resistance from the police, who were uncomfortable with the idea of having a telephone in their stations for crime reports. As a result, the responsibility for answering 999 calls was transferred to the Post Office.
6555.
Most moviegoers may have noticed that phone numbers used in Hollywood films typically start with '555.' This is because filmmakers knew viewers might be tempted to dial those numbers out of curiosity or in hopes of speaking to the actors. Since the 1970s, Hollywood has been using 555 numbers, as opposed to the real, inactive phone numbers they once used.
While the exact reason producers began using fake 555 numbers is not definitively known, it's likely due to the fact that no U.S. area code starts with the letters J, K, or L, which are the three letters assigned to 555. Over time, however, actual phone numbers starting with 555 have become common. Since 1994, the North American Numbering Plan Administration has made these numbers available for real use, with the exception of the range 555-0100 to 555-0199, which remains reserved for film purposes.
5420.
420 has become so closely linked with marijuana that cannabis users celebrate the annual marijuana day on April 20th (4/20). Numerous theories circulate about the origin of this code. Some suggest it refers to California Penal Code 420, which pertains to drug offenses. Others claim it was a secret signal used by the Los Angeles and New York police forces to communicate about marijuana smokers. Some even say it relates to the number of chemicals in marijuana or that April 20 is the ideal time for planting cannabis. They are all incorrect.
The term '420' was first coined in 1971 by five high school students from California. The students, known as the Waldos (due to their habit of hanging out by a wall), decided to meet at 4:20 PM after school to locate a marijuana farm using a map. Although they never found the plantation, they continued gathering at 4:20 PM, and soon, the term was associated with marijuana. The code spread through their circle of friends, including members of the Grateful Dead band, who introduced it to their audience, and from there, it gained widespread use.
High Five
The phrase 'high five' refers to a celebratory gesture where two people slap their raised hands together, commonly credited to Los Angeles Dodgers players Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke. After winning a baseball game, Burke introduced the gesture, and Baker, initially puzzled by Burke’s outstretched palm, instinctively slapped it. The origin of the high five remains somewhat uncertain, with suggestions that this gesture could have been in practice for thousands of years.
Ancient Egyptian art frequently depicts people, as well as human-animal hybrids, with arms raised high, seemingly in preparation to exchange a high five. While these images do not show the hands actually meeting, it’s unclear whether ancient Egyptians practiced this gesture.
A number of athletes, particularly in basketball and baseball, have claimed to have invented the high five handshake, including basketball player Lamont Sleets, who asserts that he created the gesture in the 1960s. In addition to the high five, there is the low five, which involves slapping hands below the waist. The low five was especially popular among jazz musicians and African American communities in the 1920s, although it never achieved the same widespread use as the high five.
1404.
Most internet users are familiar with the message: 'Error 404: Page not found.' It appears whenever we try to access a broken or non-existent link.
There’s a popular rumor that suggests the 404 code originated from a group of young scientists who helped create the Internet. According to this story, the scientists worked at CERN, where the central Internet database was located in room 404. When users mistakenly requested files with incorrect names, the scientists would manually respond with 'Room 404: File not found.' As the Internet automated, the server took over this task and began sending the error message. However, this rumor is false.
The 404 error code is part of the HTTP status codes, which are classified by the first digit. Codes starting with '4' represent client errors. The '04' that follows indicates 'not found.' Hence, '404' means 'client error, not found.' The reason servers show different variations of the 404 error message, such as 'Page not found' or 'File not found,' is because it’s not required for the server to recognize the specific phrase after the error code.
2187.
The term '187' is commonly used by gangs to signify homicide or murder. It is so strongly linked to these crimes that it has even been used as evidence in court. A notable case involves rapper Lil Boosie, who was accused of hiring a hitman to kill a rival rapper and gangster. Just hours before the rival rapper's assassination, Lil Boosie recorded a song called '187,' where he referenced the term and the assassin's name. Shortly after the murder, he recorded another track titled 'Body Bag.'
386.
The code '86' is often associated with eliminating something, although it can also mean dismissing, halting, or even killing someone. There are several theories about its origin, though none have been definitively proven. Some suggest it dates back to the Prohibition era when corrupt police officers would warn bartenders about an impending raid. Others believe it came from the US Navy's 'AT-6' code, used to mark items to be discarded. '86' is also believed to relate to death, with the standard grave measuring eight feet long and six feet deep.
It is also thought to have originated as slang among restaurant staff, alerting coworkers that a particular item was no longer available, and later, it came to mean that someone should be removed from the premises. Among its various potential origins, the restaurant version is the most widely accepted. Evidence suggests that it has been used since at least 1944 to indicate that a person should not be served alcohol at a bar.
