One Hundred

This is my 100th blog. I don't know why, but I thought I would write something a bit different to my usual geographic drivel. I thought we could explore the many occurrences of the number 100 in everyday life, well, when I say everyday life, I mean... well, I don't really know what I mean if I'm honest, but 100 crops up in many places, sports, transport, finance, geography, you get the idea I'm sure.

To start us off, the yellow colour of the heading has the code of "FFE100", neat eh?

In mathematics, 100 is the basis for all percentages. 0% being nothing and 100% being everything. Percent is derived from the Latin per centum which means "by the hundred".

The 100th prime number is 541.

The element named after Enrico Fermi, Fermium, has an atomic number of 100.

C is the character used to represent 100 in Roman numerals and comes again from the Latin word centum.

The first nine prime numbers,(2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19, and 23) add up to 100.

The boiling point of water at sea level is 100^o  on the Celsius scale.

The upper chamber of the US Congress is made up of two senators from each state making a total of 100 senators.

The length of an American football field, minus the end zones, is 100 yards.

The $100 bill in the US features Benjamin Franklin, the 100 rupee note in India features Mahatma Gandhi, and the 100 euro note features an arch and a bridge!

Julius Caesar, Roman general and statesman, was born in 100 BC.

Ptolemy, Greek astrologer, astronomer, geographer, and mathematician, was born in 100 AD.

The wheelbarrow was also invented in China in 100 AD.

The longest State Road 100 belongs to Vermont, one of the smallest states, and is 216.6 miles (349 km) long. It runs from the Massachusetts state line to the Canadian border.

The current (Nov.2024) World Record holder of the 100m sprint is Usain Bolt of Jamaica who ran the distance in 9.58 seconds in 2009.

The first person to run the 100m race in under 10 seconds was Jim Hines of the USA at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. He ran in 9.95 seconds.

The FTSE100 stock index is based in London. The NASDAQ100 stock index is based in New York City.

In August 1958, Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" was the first song to reach Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.

The 100 Club in London is one of the oldest music clubs, it was founded in 1964. Its address is 100 Oxford Street.

There are 100 rooms in 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British prime Minister.

The Hundred Years War was fought between England and France from 1337 until 1453, so 116 years but interrupted with a few truces and a small thing called "The Black Death".

Although, there was another Hundred Years War between France and England from 1159 to 1259.

And then the Second Hundred Years War between, guess who? yup, England and France, from 1689 until 1815, so 126 years.

In the UK, dialling 100 will reach the Operator for call services. In Israel, Greece, and Nepal, 100 connects you to the Police. Whilst in Peru, 100 connects to a domestic violence unit.

A par 3 hole in golf must have a minimum length of 100 yards.

In the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty sleeps for 100 years.

John Malkovich starred in a short movie that will only be released 100 years after the end of its production in 2015.

In the 100th episode of Friends, Phoebe gives birth to triplets.

When you reach 100 years of age in the UK, you receive a letter of congratulation from King Charles, other royal families in other countries have a similar honour.

The name of the animal called a centipede comes from the Latin words for "Hundred" and "feet".

The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower in Birmingham, England is the tallest free standing clock tower in the world. Its height is 100 m.

The Ton Up Boys were a motorcycle subculture in the 1950s and 1960s who were known for their goal of reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour.

Many of England's ceremonial counties were divided into "hundreds" during earlier times. It is thought that a "hundred" was the amount of land that could support 100 hides. A "hide" was the amount of land that could support a peasant family. The same system was in use in several other countries.

In aviation slang, "$100 hamburger" means an excuse made by a pilot to fly. In general or private aviation it refers to pilots just taking a flight to get a burger. $100 was the cost of using a Cessna 172 for 1 hour back in the day.

The Fokker 100 is a regional jet produced in the Netherlands and designed to carry a maximum of 109 passengers.

The Ultimax 100 is a Singapore-made machine gun that is one of the lightest in the world.

100 Rifles was a 1969 Western style movie starring Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds.

100 Pipers is a brand of blended Scotch Whisky that is bottled and marketed in India.

100 Yen Shops are a Japanese version of American Dollar Stores.

The Chinese delicacy "Century Egg" isn't actually preserved for 100 years, it is usually only left for a few weeks or months.

Nova 100 is a commercial radio station broadcasting on 100.3 MHz FM in Melbourne, Australia.

"Cervecería 100 Montaditos" is a restaurant chain in Spain specializing in sandwiches.

So, there you go, my special 100th blog. Sadly there isn't 100 facts, I thought that would get boring. there are about 55 I think, although I haven't counted them. That's a job for you!