Sandy Wood
Brain Game: Dating with E’s
by Sandy Wood - July 14, 2008 - 6:30 AM

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Today’s date is 7/13/2008 – July Thirteenth, Two Thousand Eight. When spelled out, it contains all the vowels: A, E, I, O, U, and Y. In fact, if you choose any date, odds are that it will contain most of the vowels. My birthday – March Twenty-Ninth, Nineteen Sixty-Seven – contains four of the six. I’d add my wife Kara’s birthday as a second example, except that she’d rearrange my face. However:

What’s the most recent month-date-year
combination which, when spelled out,
contains no vowels other than E?

Click here for the answer.

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Comments (17)

  1. Um, wouldn’t the MOST recent be 12/17/1777 – December Seventeenth, Seventeen Seventy Seven?

    posted by Ramsey on 7-14-2008 at 6:54 am

  2. Wouldn’t it be December Seventeenth seventeen seventy-seven?

    posted by Martha on 7-14-2008 at 7:00 am

  3. It would, but “seventy” contains a Y.

    posted by Sandy on 7-14-2008 at 7:15 am

  4. We’re counting Y as a vowel here, which is also why it’s not December twenty-seventh.

    posted by ThePolynomial on 7-14-2008 at 7:16 am

  5. What about
    December twenty-seventh, twenty seven?

    posted by BB on 7-14-2008 at 7:46 am

  6. Hmmm, I guessed the 27th. I guess I don’t think of y as a vowel, since it’s just a sometimes thing.

    posted by nutmeag on 7-14-2008 at 7:58 am

  7. I don’t think people know how to read properly in terms of “y” being applied as a vowel. At least I got the answer right — took a few.

    posted by Christopher on 7-14-2008 at 9:53 am

  8. Uh, you really need to pick a way that you state the date before you can pick the most recent. For example, if you were to say the dates 1975 and 2008, would they be:
    • “Nineteen Seventy Five” and “Twenty Oh Eight”
    Or
    • “One Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy Five” and “Two Thousand Eight”

    If you use the former, then your date selection would be correct. However, if you are actually saying the date in a formal manner (the latter), wouldn’t that mean the most recent date would be 12/17/17, or “December Seventeen, Seventeen”?

    posted by Brian on 7-14-2008 at 10:01 am

  9. Brian, that’s why I provided two examples in the writeup… one with a 21st century date and one with a 20th century date. It was intended as a guide to help answer the question.

    Besides, it’s just a daily brain game. Something meant to be fun; not taken too seriously.

    posted by Sandy on 7-14-2008 at 10:04 am

  10. Good thought, thanks. I love these things. Gives me a good pick me up in the morn.

    I guess it’s a hazard of my occupation (Finance/Accounting); You need rules for everything. Gray areas get people in trouble.

    posted by Brian on 7-14-2008 at 10:08 am

  11. Wow, completely misread the question.

    By the way, as far as I can tell, August Thirty-First Two-Thousand Six is the most recent date that does not use E’s.

    posted by Bob on 7-14-2008 at 10:13 am

  12. Nice one, Bob!

    posted by Sandy on 7-14-2008 at 10:39 am

  13. december seventeenth seventeen seventy seven?

    posted by v on 7-14-2008 at 3:21 pm

  14. Long time reader, first time commenter (I think)…

    First I want to say how much I enjoy mental floss. I just have to get my daily fix! It’s a top notch site.

    This is probably my favorite Brain Game yet. After I came up with the answer (12/17/1717), I got to thinking about it, and I’d like to be corrected if I’m wrong, but isn’t that not only the most recent date that uses no vowels except E’s, but the LAST one possible?

    Every year in the “thousands”, for example 2008 or 999,999 has vowels other than E, obviously. Then you go to the millions, billions, and so on, disregarding, of course, how long the earth will actually last. All the numbers after that (the ones I’ve found, anyway), have vowels other than E, particularly since most end in “illion”. So, unless there’s a huge number out there that I’m unaware of, 12/17/1717 is the last date that holds this really cool distinction.

    Is that right or am I missing something?

    posted by Michigan Mom on 7-15-2008 at 6:42 am

  15. Since when is ‘y’ a vowel? Technically speaking!!

    You know…a e i o u !!!

    Did I miss a grammar lesson?
    :)

    posted by Tim on 7-16-2008 at 12:08 am

  16. Also…September Seventeenth Seventeen Seventeen (8/17/1717.

    posted by Jessica on 7-17-2008 at 10:55 am

  17. Yes you did Tim. The full saying for vowels is “A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y.” Generally, Y is a vowel at the end of words. It can also be the only vowel is some words (by, my, fly, and syzygy to name a few.)

    posted by Stephen on 7-23-2008 at 10:52 am

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