The Mystery of 47

Pomoniana - The Mystery of 47

Explore Pomona Of Ivy & Palm Trees Hard-working & Easygoing Classroom & Beyond Life on Campus The Right Place

Discover More Pomona Live - Student Videos Who Goes To Pomona Traditions & Lore 47 Things To Do

Academics Our Curriculum Majors at Pomona In The Classroom

Apply Introduction to Applying Online Information Request First Year Applicants How to Apply Application Forms Application Deadlines Transfer Applicants International Applicants Questbridge Applicants Testing Requirements Interviewing Financial Aid Frequent Questions

Admitted Students Special Info For Admitted Students

Tour Pomona Take a Guided Tour Self Guided Tour Interactive Map Tour Help

Visit Pomona Visit the Campus Interviewing How To Get Here

Other Information Contact the Admissions Office Frequent Questions Message From The Dean Pomona Quick Facts Admissions Calendar What The College Guides Say Profile of Enrolling Students Admissions Volunteers Course Catalog Download The View Book

Administrative Office Directory Academic Office Directory

Read More Pomona Lore

“To the uninitiated, 47 is a mystery. To knowledgeable Pomona Sagehens, 47 is dogma. To sociologists, 47 is a prime example of a minor piece of whimsy that somehow developed into a legend of mythical proportions...”
—Pomona Student Handbook, 1985-86

In 1964, a student project to determine whether the number 47 appeared more often in nature than other random numbers turned into a wholesale 47 hunt that has continued to this day. Here are a few of the unlikely places where Sagehens have discovered this quintessential random number:

	Pomona College is located at Exit 47 of the San Bernardino Freeway.
	The Bible credits Jesus with 47 miracles.
	There are 47 pipes in the top row of the Lyman Hall organ.
	The Declaration of Independence has 47 sentences.
	The Disney comedy The Absent-Minded Professor features a basketball game filmed at Pomona’s old Renwick Gym. The final score: 47-46.
	In the film Towering Inferno, actor Richard Chamberlain ’56 was the 47th person in line to be saved.
	There are 47 strings on a concert harp.
	In the freshman class that entered Pomona College in the year 2000, there were 47 valedictorians.
	The tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are located 47 degrees apart.

And if all this 47 trivia gives you an upset stomach, remember that Rolaids absorbs 47 times its weight in excess acid.

Here are a few links where you can find more details about the number 47: