When Is the Next Palindrome Date?
A palindrome is a term for when a word or phrase is spelled the same way backward as it is forward. Some examples include level, kayak, civic, and radar. But number sequences, dates, and times may also be palindromes: 3/20/23 and 11:11.
Palindrome dates are especially notable because they are rare. For this reason, they are believed to be lucky.
Palindrome Dates In 2023
Most palindrome dates are not ubiquitous. For example, in 2023, there will be a palindrome date on March 20 expressed either in full as 3/20/2023, or in short as 3/20/23. However, no palindrome date will occur in the day/month/year date format (used in Europe, for example) on 20 March because neither 20/3/2023 or 20/3/23 qualify.
There will be eleven palindrome dates in the month of March 2023:
| 3/2/23 | 3/20/23 | 3/21/23 |
| 3/22/23 | 3/23/23 | 3/24/23 |
| 3/25/23 | 3/26/23 | 3/27/23 |
| 3/28/23 | 3/29/23 |
These dates are expressed in short using only the rightmost two digits of the year number in the month/day/year date format.
Date numbers written in short form using only the rightmost two digits of the year repeat every century. So, all the short-written dates in 2023 will repeat again next century in 2123. However, the date expressed as 3/20/2023 will not repeat.
Palindrome Dates in 2024
Likewise, there will be eleven in April 2024:
| 4/2/24 | 4/20/24 | 4/21/24 |
| 4/22/24 | 4/23/24 | 4/24/24 |
| 4/25/24 | 4/26/24 | 4/27/24 |
| 4/28/24 | 4/29/24 |
2025-2029 Dates
As above, the years 2025 to 2029 will each have 11 palindrome dates, 10 being consecutive. These will occur in April in 2024, May in 2025, June in 2026, July in 2027, August in 2028, and September in 2029.
Each of these years will also contain one seven-digit full palindrome date coinciding with the 20th of each of these respective months. After 2029, no other year in this century will contain an abundance of consecutive palindrome dates like most of the years in this decade or last decade.
21st Century Palindrome Dates
If you include two digit days and months and all four digits of the year, there are only 12 palindrome dates this century:
- October 2, 2001 (10-02-2001)
- January 2, 2010 (01-02-2010)
- November 2, 2011 (11-02-2011)
- February 2, 2020 (02-02-2020)
- December 2, 2021 (12-02-2021)
- March 2, 2030 (03-02-2030)
- April 2, 2040 (04-02-2040)
- May 2, 2050 (05-02-2050)
- June 2, 2060 (06-02-2060)
- July 2, 2070 (07-02-2070)
- August 2, 2080 (08-02-2080)
- September 2, 2090 (09-02-2090)
Why February 2, 2020 was so rare
02/02/2020 was extra special because it has the distinction of reading the same backward and forward when written out in eight digits in multiple date systems. For example, in European countries, dates are written as day/month/year, so the date qualifies in this format and in the typical US format of month/day/year.
Join The Discussion!
Do you believe these special dates are lucky?
Is one of these dates your birthday or the birthday of someone close to you?
Let us know in the comments below!
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Dr. Aziz Inan
Dr. Aziz Inan is an electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland, Oregon. He has been studying palindrome calendar dates for more than a decade. Dr. Inan’s work with numbers has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and many other news sources: NPR, CNN, CBS News, NBC News, and ABC News. Dr. Inan has also contributed to Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, Stanford Magazine, and Caltech Magazine.
This article was published by the staff at Farmers' Almanac. Do you have a question or an idea for an article? Contact us!
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
Fascinated by palindromes, sequences, and numbers that demonstrate patterns.
They fascinate us too!
But you mention December
Bro what about 12-02-2021.
12022021 = 12022021
prof premraj pushpakaran writes– october 7, 2017 is also a palindrome day!!!
Today should have been a worldwide holiday.