Spend any amount of time researching conspiracy theories and you will inevitably encounter some truly strange notions, such bizarre ideas that they challenge the credulity of the observer, who is forced to ask himself whether or not there are such people who believe in something so ridiculous. This is not the "through-the-looking-glass" material of Kennedy assassins and Masonic takeovers; such mundane stuff is readily available to anyone who has ever watched the X-Files, and, anyway, is hardly shocking. No, the genuinely weird conspiracy theories run to things like: the YMCA arranging John Lennon's assassination; German critical theorist Theodor Adorno writing the entire Beatles song catalogue in order to hook American youngsters on dope; the Queen of England being a shape-shifting reptillian who eats babies. Things like that. These theories, and others like them, constitute a kind of upper atmosphere of paranoia, a truly baroque Pale of nightmarish imagination beyond which none dare venture. These theories tend to be as gaudy and eccentric as their formulators and they possess, for the observer, the thrill that carnival freak shows must have had for turn-of-the-century audiences. And then, nestled among these strange treasures like a Mexican fetish doll surrounded by Pokemon dolls, unobtrusively transmitting a paranoia so universal that it dwarfs all explanation, is the 23 phenomenon. The 23 phenomenon is based on the notion that nothing is more ridiculous than coincidence; that, in the hyper-planned world of today, attributing anything to "coincidence" amounts to a denial of reality, and an unwillingness to confront the horrible truth, whatever that may be. The 23 phenomenon is nothing more than noting when the number 23 appears, in any form or combination, during one's life. Once this has begun, an incredible series of "coincidences" begins to pile up, and gradually the two digits take on an inescapably sinister cast. But, it has been protested, what does it mean? Is 23 a conspiracy, like the famous subliminal use of the non-word "fnord"? Or does it have some cosmic significance? Those who have written about 23 (and there certainly aren't many of these) generally refer vaguely to the mathematical notion of "synchronicity," but this is a paltry explanation for a such a genuinely unsettling phenomenon. A better explanation is that 23 doesn't mean anything; it isn't a conspiracy theory so much as it is the basic elements with which the human mind shapes conspiracy theories - paranoid DNA, if you will. If you can begin to note all the occurences of the number 23 and gradually become convinced that somehow, somewhere, some insidious plot is being hatched, then you have the mental state necessary to accept and interpret any conspiracy theory. This is all too much explanation, however. There is no better way to understand the phenomenon than simply to confront it in its bulk form, and so therefore, as a service to our readers, Stalemate Coalition Government presents here, in handy list form, the largest single collection of 23 instances anywhere in existence. Have a nice day.
It takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate fully through the human body.
In the average human lifetime, the human head will grow 23 tonnes of hair.
Ni is the Japanese word for 2; San is the Japanese for 3. Hence, Nissan = 23.
CIA headquarters in Virginia are located on U.S. Route 123.
The Federal Reserve Act, creating the Federal Reserve banking system which many credit with being more powerful than the President or Congress, was signed into law on December 23, 1913.
Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, wore number 23 with the Chicago Bulls. As did Don Mattingly, the New York Yankee known as "Donnie Baseball" during the 1980s.
23 people were killed during the Salem witchcraft panic in Massachusetts during the 1690s. 19 were hanged, one pressed to death, and three died in prison.
Manchester, CT, the home base of Stalemate Coalition Government, recieved its charter in 1823.
The colonial charters of the New England governments were revoked by King James on October 23, 1689.
William Shakespeare, almost universally considered the greatest writer in English of all time, was born on April 23, and died on April 23. Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party staged its ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch in November of 1923.
The Second Vatican Council, the most important and wide-ranging Church council since the Protestant Reformation, a Council which ended the Latin mass and brought the Church closer to the modern world, was convened by Pope John XXIII. His personal cross bore the insignia of the eye looking out from the pyramid, familiar from both the U.S. dollar bill and the dread 18th century secret society the Illuminati
. The Battle of Lexington was fought on April 19. Abbreviated by Europeans, that would be 19/4; by Americans, it would be 4/19. Either way, 19+4=23.
Other "4/19" dates include the Federal government massacre of Branch Davidian cultists in their Waco compound and the bombing of the Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building, the worst act of terrorism on U.S. soil if you don't count acts of state terrorism.
Punk bands: Small 23, 23 More Minutes, Inspector 23. The famous proto-punk band Suicide used to perform a song in concert about World War II called "23 Minutes Over Belgium."
There is currently a punk label called Element 23 Records.
The luxury shampoo Pantene Pro-V has 23 "essential" nutrients and vitamins, according to its press campaign.
The X-Files, which introduced conspiritology to middle America, is made by the company 10.13 Productions. 10+13=23.
The phrase "Scottish Rite Freemasonry" has 23 letters. Scottish Rite masonry is the dominant form of masonry in the U.S., and played a large role in the development of Mormon theology, about which more later.
Scientists at MIT have predicted a "technological singularity" for the year 2030 AD.
Geosynchronous orbit occurs at 23,000 miles above the Earth's surface.
Edgar Cayce, the famous psychic and popularizer in the U.S. of the "lost civilization" mythos, had his first vision of Atlantis in 1923.
In chemistry, Avagadro's number is 6.02 x 10 to the 23 power. There are two uranium isotopes used in building an atomic bomb. One is U235.
The tilt of the Earth's axis is approximately 23 degrees.
The species Homo sapiens has 46 chromosomes: 23 from the mother, 23 from the father.
The "dog days of summer" begin on July 23 when Sirius rises. This also marked the Egyptian New Year, hence "dog days" (Sirius is known as the "dog star" - marvel at the connection to Keanu Reeves and his wretched grunge band).
The PC World War II simulation game "Hidden and Dangerous" requires players to complete 23 missions.
On March 28, 1968 the government of Generalissimo Francisco Franco expelled 23 student radicals from the University of Seville. 2/3=.666. . .
America Online's chat rooms only allow 23 people in at one time. In the comedy film "Airplane II," the name of the space ship is XR-2300. The "Airplane" series is a parody of the "Airport" series of films. In the first "Airport" movie, the mad bomber character is in seat 23. Futhermore, 230 people died in the TWA Flight 800 disaster, in which the government was largely suspected of covering up the real causes of the accident.
The letter "W" is the 23rd letter in the alphabet, and has 2 points down and three points up. During the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, Republican candidate George W. Bush was often affectionately called by his supporters "W."
The first Apollo moon landing was at 23.63 degrees east; the second was at 23.42 degrees west.
Area 51 is the famous U.S. Air Force base in Nevada in which conspiratologists suspect alien life forms are resident. 23 + 23 + (2+3) = 51.
On August 23, 1305, the Scottish general William Wallace was executed by the English crown.
On August 23, 1970, the actor and Children of God cult member River Phoenix was born.
The absurdly popular TV science fiction series "Star Trek" is set in the 23rd century.
The human biorhythm cycle is 23 days.
Julius Ceasar was stabbed 23 times by his assassins.
In Charles Dickens' classic novel "A Tale of Two Cities," Sydney Carton is the 23rd man beheaded.
According to Noam Chomsky, more than one half the national media is owned by 23 corporations.
The average smoker smokes 23 cigarettes per day.
Before being bought by the Church of Scientology, the Cult Awareness Network had 23 chapters nation-wide.
Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was born on December 23, 1805. He later claimed that he was visited by two angels who instructed him to found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The year of their visitation was 1823.
Ancient Mayan calendars predict the end of the world for December 23, 2012.
July 23, in addition to being New Year's Day in ancient Egypt, was also New Year's in ancient Sumeria.
The Articles of Impeachment in the U.S. Constitution, which only two Presidents have faced, are found in article 2, section 3.
The U.S. military detonated 23 atomic bombs at Bikini Atoll. In John Milton's classic poem "Paradise Lost," Book I contains the following lines 22-23: "what in me is dark/Illumine, what is low raise and support. . ." This will be familiar to students of the dread Bavarian secret society the Illuminati.
The first prime number in which both digits are primes and add up to another prime is 23.
In Lewis Caroll's classic tale "Alice in Wonderland," the White Rabbit leaps out of a toy trunk marked #23 in the beginning.
In the film "Star Wars," which is often held responsible for bringing to a close Hollywood's 1970s period of artistic experimentation and ushering in the era of the blockbuster, Princess Leia is held prisoner in cell AA-23.
William Shakespeare was 46 years old when the King James Bible was published. 23x2=46. In the King James Version, the 46th word of Psalm 46 is "shake" and the 46th word from the back is "spear."
The Masonic Temple in Stafford, Great Britain, is on 23 Jaol Road.
The Masonic Temple in New York City is located on 23rd Street.
Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, killed or wounded 23 victims before being apprehended by the FBI.
According to geologists, every 23rd wave crashing on a beach is, on average, twice as large as a normal wave.
There are 23 characters on the face of all U.S. coins.
The Morgan Guarantee Trust - the House that JP Morgan Built - is located at 23 Wall St.
Brian Boru, the last High King of Ireland, won the Battle of Clontarf on April 23, 1014, driving the Vikings from Ireland for good. However, on August 23, 1169, the Norman invasion of Ireland begins.
The wrestler Owen Hart was killed in a bizarre wrestling-related accident on May 23, 1999.
The Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, known as the "Frankfurt School," and home to such formidable figures as Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, Erich Fromm, Herbert Marcuse, and Franz Neumann, was founded in 1923. Theodor Adorno's collected works comprise 23 separate volumes.
The legendary ECW champion Taz debuted in the World Wrestling Federation as Tazz on January 23, 2000.
The average age of bridegrooms in the United States is 23.
Philip Deslippe, Stalemate Coalition Government collaborator and punk rock gadabout, resides at 23 Alexander St. in Manchester.
Kristy Keeler, fellow traveler of the Stalemate Coalition Goverment, once lived off exit 23 of I-84 in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
Stalemate Coalition Government figures have spent a week in August for the past three years at Merlin's Cove, located in the town of Burnham on Fire Road 23.
The most commonly used U.S. military cargo plane is the C-23 Sherpa. The wretched heavy metal conglomerate Guns n Roses released their bloated double album "Use Your Illusion 1 & 2" at midnight on September 23, 1991. Also if you add 1991 and 1 and 2 it also equals 23 (1+9+9+1+1+2=23)
In the 2000 elections, California had as a statewide referendum Proposition 23, which would have allowed voters in future elections to select "none of the above" rather than a particular candidate.
In 2000, the U.S. government inspected all of its MD-80 fighter jets; 23 of the planes had problems with the horizontal stabilizer.
The American Foreign Service Association has 23,000 members.
The Wye Memorandum between Yassar Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu was signed on October 23, 1998.
Minnesota, home of preposterous governor and former pro wrestler Jesse Ventura, has 23 state libraries.
The Federal Bureau of Land Management currently identifies 23 types of invasive plant in California.
Husker Du's practically unlistenable concept double album "Zen Arcade" has 23 songs.
The famous "Hollywood sign" in Los Angeles was built in 1923. It was declared Los Angeles Cultural Historical Monument #111 in 1973. (1+1+1) + (1+9+7+3) = 23.
The Broadway legend Bob Fosse was born on June 23, 1927 and died on September 23, 1987. He started dancing at age 23.
Orson Welles broadcast his famous panic-inducing version of "War of the Worlds" when he was only 23 years old.
In the comedy film "Happy Gilmore," Adam Sandler's character wears #23 on his hockey jersey. "Happy Gilmore" is widely considered Sandler's best film, although it is also widely considered to be awful.
On July 23, 1982, actor Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese child actors were killed filming John Landis' awful "Twilight Zone" movie.
The first overtime game in football history, considered by many to be the greatest single game ever played, was decided when the Baltimore Colts scored a touchdown, beating the New York Giants by a score of 23 to 17.
When Stanley Kubrick was preparing to film his excellent version of Stephen King's novel "The Shining," he was told by the management of the hotel where filming took place that he couldn't use the actual numbers of hotel rooms or name of the establishment, for fear that guests would be too afraid to stay there. Kubrick thus changed room #217 to the non-existent #237 Timberline Lodge.
Actor Humphrey Bogart was born on January 23, 1899.
Noted Surrealist and old coot Salvador Dali finally died on January 23, 1989.
Television talk show host Johnny Carson was born on October 23, 1925.
Jack Webb, known to millions as movie/TV cop Joe Friday from "Dragnet," (and related by marriage to Stalemate Coalition Government figure Tom Breen) died on December 23, 1982.
William Shakespeare's first folio of work was published in 1623, the same year his wife died.
The average baseball is 23 centimeters in circumference.
New York Yankee legend Lou Gehrig hit 23 career grand slams, still a major league record.
Adolf Hitler officially dissolved the German Reichstag on April 23, 1933.
Hank Aaron, current holder of the record for most career home runs, played 23 seasons of major league baseball.
The first planes built specifically for warfare were dedicated by the U.S. military on December 23, 1907.
The first time the U.S. national debt went over $5 trillion was on February 23, 1996.
In the 16th century, a British archbishop determined that the world had been created on October 23, 4004 BC. This is a figure still used by many fundamentalist Protestants.
There are 23 vertebrae in the human body.
A full turn of the DNA helix occurs every 23 angstroms.
In the city of Dublin, Ireland, there is a #22 bus, a #22A, and a #24, but no #23.
Right now, it's -23 degrees Celsius on the surface of Mars.
The German army fielded 23 divisions on the Western Front in 1940. The American soldiers responsible for the My Lai massacre were in the U.S. Army's 23rd division.
The design of the U.S. flag has changed 23 times since 1776.
Dagobert II, the last Merovingian king, was killed on December 23, 679 AD.
Comet Hale-Bopp, the comet which inspired members of the Heaven's Gate cult to commit mass suicide, was closest to earth on March 23, 1997, the day that the cult members took their lives. This distance was approximately 123 million miles from earth.
On April 23, 1616, the brilliant Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes (who wrote "Don Quixote") died. Often called "the Spanish Shakespeare," the day of Cervantes' death was the exact same as Shakespeare's.
The words "William Jefferson Clinton" have 23 letters.
Daniel 8:14 reads "And he said unto me, until two thousand and three hundred: then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
John Dillinger, the famous American outlaw, was killed at Chicago's Biograph Theater, located at 2323 Clark Street. During his brief life, Dillinger robbed 26 banks, but only 23 for money.
United Auto Workers local #2322 in Northampton is the union that Stalemate Coalition Government contributor Tom Breen was a member of.
There are 23 maxims in Euclid's "Geometry."
Precisely 2300 stones comprise the Great Pyramid at Giza.
63 years is the average lifespan on planet Earth, which amounts to roughly 23,000 days.
In Milton's "Paradise Lost," two-thirds of the angels are loyal to God, or 2/3.
Telegraphers use 23 as code for "break the line."
There are 23 joints in the human arm.
On July 23, the beginning of the "dog days of summer," there are, on average, more UFO sightings than on any other single day during the year.
The Knights Templar, a crusading order within the Catholic church established to protect pilgrims en route to the Holy Land, are suspected by many to have evolved into the Freemasons, the arch secret society. The Knights Templar were surpressed by order of the Papacy on October 13 (10+13=23). Jacques DeMolay, who was burned at the stake for heresy, was the 23rd and final grandmaster of the order.
There are 23 letters in the Latin alphabet.
Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of punk group Nirvana and the man more responsible than any other for bringing underground music to the mainstream, was born in 1967 and took his own life in 1994. 1+9+6+7 = 23. 1+9+9+4 = 23.
The bizarre advertising character Max Headroom broadcast on the fictional Network 23.
There are 23 buildings on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA.
Arthur "Dutch Schultz" Flegenheimer, the Prohibition-era Harlem gangster, was shot to death on October 23, 1934. His killer, Charlie "The Bug" Workman, was released from prison after serving 23 years. On October 23, 1956, the doomed Hungarian uprising against Soviet domination began.
In the U.S. Senate, 23 votes are required to rescind a motion.
Ryne Sandberg, the greatest Chicago Cub since Ernie Banks, wore #23, and holds the major league record for most consecutive innings without making a fielding error. The record is 123 innings.
The Rosicrucians (AMORC) in America always hold their Annual Outdoor Fete on September 23. September 23 is the date of the Fall Equinox, and also Yom Kippur.
The first song on Side A of the Beatles' first record took 23 takes before it was finished.
The most famous Psalm in the Bible is probably Psalm 23. It begins, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters," and is the source of the famous "shadow of the valley of death" image.
U2 have been one of the most consistently popular and socially engaged rock bands of the last 20 years. U is the 21st letter in the alphabet, and when 21 is added to 2, the result is 23.
The New York Yankees won their first World Series in 1923.
The West German (now just the German) Constitution still in use was written in 1949. 1+9+4+9=23.
Numbers 32:23 reads, "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out."
In Prince's song "Get Off," the diminutive pop genius suggests that there are "23 positions in a one night stand."
The Police song "Synchronicity I" (see introduction) is 3:23 long. When he played football for Whittier College, disgraced U.S. President and paranoid whacko Dick Nixon wore #23.
The first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Abbreviated, that would look like 8/6/45. 8+6+4+5=23.
There are 23 volumes in the U.S. Forest Service Manual.
The critically-acclaimed pop group The Magnetic Fields released their magnum opus, "69 Love Songs" in 1999, consisting of three CDs with 23 songs each.
Hank Williams, the Hillbilly Shakespeare, was born in 1923.
In the fantastically good U.S. TV program "The Simpsons," the KJAZ radio station has a signal capable only of reaching listeners within a 23' radius.
Aleister Crowley, the British occultist and junkie, and the man who bears a huge share of responsibility for the postwar popularity of occultism, was expelled from his "Thelemic lodge" in Sicily in May, 1923.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms raided the Branch Davidian complex on February 23, 1995. The standoff ended disastrously on April 19 (4.19, 4+19=23) and a TV movie about Branch Davidian leader David Koresh was broadcast by NBC on May 23.
In the movie "The Hawks and the Sparrows" (Uccellucci e Uccellini) by acclaimed Italian artist Pier Paolo Pasolini, a raven representing left-wing intellectuals talks with a father and son. Part of their conversation goes as follows:
Raven: "I come from far away. My country is ideology. I live in the capitol; the City of the Future, on Karl Marx Street, number seventy times seven."
Father and Son: "We're at Garbageville. Downandout Street, number 23, famous for the martyrdom of St. Illiterate."
Heinrich Himmler committed suicide on May 23, 1945
According to the IRS, illegal tax protesters account for 2.3% of lost federal tax revenue yearly.
June 23, 1900 - Edward Windsor, aka King Edward IIX, the only English king to abdicate the throne to marry a woman, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Although this marriage has been greatly romanticized over the years, Edward and Wallis were (a) pretty miserable together and (b) well-known Nazi sympathizers, visiting Germany throughout the 1930s and recieving medals from Hitler. Some historians suspect that Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess' bizarre 1940 flight was part of an abandoned plot to overthrow the English government and King George VI and replace them with collaborators and Edward.
Birthdays January 23, 1947 - Dr. Laura Schlesinger, unspeakably annoying radio personality and longtime Stalemate nemesis July 23, 1973 - Monica Lewinsky, whose blowjobs nearly brought down a US presidential administration July 23, 1965 - Slash, lame guitarist for inexplicably popular heavy metal band May 23, 1973 - Jewel, nothin' really to say about Jewel September 23, 1949 - The BOSS, Bruce Springsteen
23 members of a grand jury
23 members of a Sanhedrin, or "high council," in the Jewish tradition the 99 resturaunt services house cocktails in 23 oz glasses, but all other cocktails in 25 oz glasses
This is from a Dictionary of Numerology: Number 23 is not a happy number for anyone who is weak and not trying to live up to his potential. It can influence and weaken the moral structure of the people it affects.
STAMFORD, Conn., March 23, 2001 - World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWF) today announced its purchase of the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) brand from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS Inc.), a division of AOL Time Warner
Andrew Waterman's 18th century almanacks considered March 23rd to be the most auspicious date for marriage.
In March 23, 1919 Benito Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement in Milan, Italy.
in the movie rushmore, the main character max fisher shows his "business" card and it reads "max fisher, rushmore academy, voice mail box 23", when he transfers to the public high school his mail box is still #23
it took khufu 23 years to build the great pyramid at giza.
the song "napoleon solo" on at the drive-in's album "in/casino/out" is about a friend's untimely death on march 23rd.
After he moved out of his parents' house (at age 33!), Walter Benjamin lived at 23 Helbruckstrasse in Berlin.
Cesare Borgia was the son of Rodrigo Borgia, who as Alexander VI is considered to be one of the worst of the "Bad Popes." Cesare was also the model for Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince." Cesare died facing a small army of assassins, who wounded him 23 times before he died.
Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961, becoming the first ballplayer to break Babe Ruth's single-season record. Because of Ruth's popularity, Maris was hated by many fans. In fact, on the day he hit the 61st home run, there were 23,000 fans in attendance at Yankee Stadium - which is interesting because, at the time, the park held 72,000.
The Columbine high school massacre began when the two shooters began firing their weapons in the parking lot at precisely 11:21 a.m.: 1+1=2:2+1=3, or 2:3.
Interpunk.com, "The Ultimate Punk Music Store" (although they have nothing by either Circus Lupus or Pot Valiant) boasts "Over 23,000 Punk, Emo, Hardcore, and Ska items."
