Why 500?

The Proclaimers song “I’m Gonna Be” has just ended on the radio and that has prompting me to consider why the Proclaimers chose 500 miles rather than a distance more proportionate to the distance between towns in Scotland.

As 91% of the population live within 100 miles of Edinburgh why not save the shoe leather and just walk 100 miles?

Maybe it’s simply that 500 rhymed well in the lyric and tune and doubling it to 1,000 not only rhymed well but also covered most of the populated area of the UK or maybe that is over thinking and it’s because 500 is a number that has a subconscious value and recurring relevance to most people in everyday life?

500 is a number that appears in a multitude of ways and settings – to example:

500 miles is the length of the Indianapolis 500 – for long recognised as the world’s best attended single day motor sport event

500 pieces is one of the most popular jigsaw sizes

500 seconds (a bit over 8 minutes) is according to Statista.com the average length of a people or Blog video on YouTube – long enough to both develop a message and fit in advert breaks.

500 Error message – how often has a website presented you with a 500 server error rather than the page you wanted?

500 KHz - is the original International radio calling and distress frequency for Morse Code SOS signalling

500 is a popular corporate index, The Legal 500, Fortune 500, S&P 500, etc …

500 words - the accepted single space capacity of an A4 sheet of paper and from my experience 500 words is also the limit of most people’s attention when presented with a business proposal or starting to read a book, If you are not captured in those first 500 words the probability is you will not buy into the narrative and read on.

On the same theme, If a contract document exceeds 500 words its likely it will not be fully read by the person signing it – one of the main reasons why commercial lawyers make money. To ask a rhetorical: – did you read the terms and conditions of use of your mobile phone provider before signing the contract? Do you read the T&Cs of Amazon or any other an online shop’s website before buying? Did you start to read them with good intention but lose interest, if not the will to live, after the first 500 words?

These are just a few top of the head examples of how the number 500 appears in many aspects of everyday life and experience. It seems to be a number and value that resonates across many aspects of activity; from musical lyrics & literature through games, puzzles, sports, commerce, technology and apprehension 500 is a value that recurs time and time again.

500 just seems to fit and so this blog is exactly 500 words!

PS, if you want to call the Falkland islands the dialling code is 500