For Some, 10/10/10 Isn't Like Any Other Day

On Sunday, which happens to be October 10, 2010, New York's Xanthe Soter will be celebrating her tenth birthday in style, as she and ten of her friends will visit a local pizzeria to make their own pies.

A fifth grader, Soter has been looking forward to this day since she realized -- at the ripe old age of eight -- that her entry into double digits would fall on an auspicious day. "It's really special," she said in an interview. "It could be lucky."

Indeed, Xanthe, whose friend Leah also turns ten on Sunday, is not the only one who feels that way. Some expectant parents in India think that 10/10/10 is a "magic" date, according to Daily News & Analysis, a regional Web site. The site goes on to claim that many are trying to induce delivery on Sunday. Some, apparently, have even scheduled Cesarean deliveries, just to be sure.

A Day With Ups and Downs

In terms of politics, October 10 has been a less-than auspicious date. In 1938, Germany chose the date for its annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. Thirty-five years later, in 1973, Richard Nixon's Vice President, Spiro Agnew, resigned on October 10. He later pleaded no contest to tax evasion charges.

On the other hand, it was a happy day for actress Liz Taylor, who got married for the sixth time on October 10, 1975. It was also a banner day for women and coin collectors: on October 10, 1978, President Jimmy Carter authorized the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, making the famous suffragist the first woman to be memorialized on an American coin.

Making 10/10 Special

The Knot, a website devoted to weddings, has done its part to make 10/10 a happy day: in a recent contest, it gave away ten weddings to the ten couples who gave the ten best reasons why their nuptials should be held in Bermuda. Each couple also designed a specific theme for their nuptials.

For museum goers, Canada's Red Flag Deals is offering ten consecutive days of deals for museums in Toronto and Montreal. On the other end of the spectrum, Titan Bet, a British casino, will give ten pounds to every patron who bets ten pounds on Sunday.

A Day of Leisure... Or Love

October 10th fanatics can also use the day to relax: the Hotel Victor in Florida's South Beach is taking 10/10 promotions to a new level by giving away ten free nights in a Victor Partial Ocean View Room. For those who prefer to be pampered, the hotel is also offering a ten percent discount at its spa.

Las Vegas is celebrating the day as well: according to Vegas.com, at 10:10 AM on Sunday, ten couples will pledge their troth with a simultaneous engagement in Caesar's Palace. To make the event extra-extra special, "emcee Donny Osmond will re-propose to his wife of more than 30 years."

My colleague, Bruce Watson, has covered how one group, 360.org, used the date to declare 10/10/10 a day of Environmental Action.

Not a Bad Day to Surf the Web

Experts point out that 10/10/10 is not like 1/1/00 when the world's computers were supposed to go haywire but didn't. Nothing is expected to happen to machines at 10 AM or 10 PM. Nothing especially bad is expected to occur online either.

On the other hand, as an internet security expert told ABC News, science fiction fans might attach extra significance to the date. In binary code, "101010" symbolizes 42, a number with special significance to devotees of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In Douglas Adams' masterpiece, the number signifies the answer to "Life, the Universe and Everything."