Radio Australia Today Editorial

2009. A year of memories.

14 December 2009

I don’t know if ‘nine’ is a powerful number or not, but just listening to the On This Day segment on Radio Australia Today this year, I have been amazed at how many anniversaries we had that fell on ‘nine’ years.

To give you a clue.

2009 was the 60th anniversary of Mao’s China

2009 was the 60th anniversary of West Germany

2009 was the 60th anniversary of India

2009 was the 60th anniversary of Indonesia

2009 was the 60th anniversary of Hungary

2009 was the 60th anniversary of the first Israel election

2009 was the 60th anniversary of Republic of Ireland

2009 was the 60th anniversary of Thailand (after changing from Siam)

2009 was the 50th anniversary of Castro’s Cuba

2009 was the 50th anniversary of Singapore

2009 was the 40th anniversary of Moon landing

Yes, it seemed that every day there was another commemoration.

I just want to know why it all happened on a ‘nine’ year. One explanation could be that 1949 was only four years after the second world war, a period when many nations were born. Still, there aren’t THAT many countries founded in 1950, or 1951. Or 1952.

And when you consider that the two biggest emerging nations, India and China were founded in the same year, 1949, then this is the cue for the Twilight Zone music to be piped through the corridors of the United Nations.

What other big anniversaries happened on a ‘nine’ year? Let us know.

- Phil Kafcaloudes