Fact of the Day: 04/01/2023

Why are the two world wars indicated as WWI and WWII? Why not WW1 and WW2? Their generally-accepted names use Roman numerals, which, while not as widespread as the Hindu-Arabic numeral system we use today, are still used quite a bit—in outlines, book chapters, and, yes, even the names of important events. Roman numerals come from the ancient Roman counting system. Because we do still tend to use them (though not for calculations), it’s important to be able to read them. The main symbols, and what they stand for, are:

• I = 1
• V = 5
• X = 10
• L = 50
• C = 100
• D = 500
• M = 1,000

You form numbers by placing two symbols together. If the symbol you place to the right is less than or equal in value to the one on the left, you add the values. For example, III = 3 (or 1 + 1 + 1, where all I’s have the same value) and VI = 6 (or 5 + 1, where I < V). If the symbol you place to the right is greater than or equal in value to the one on the left, you subtract the values. For example, IV = 4 (or 5 – 1, where V > I) and XL = 40 (50 – 10, where L > X). 

If you’d like more help on learning how to read Roman numerals, check out the reference link to this fact. Learning about these numerals may be more useful than you think. 

Reference(s): https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-numeral 

Fact Author: Ace

Fact Editor: Ace

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