Happy 21st TMR
Celebrating Our 21st in 2019
We’ve got the key of the door, never been 21 before…
2019 sees The Mailing Room (and Google) officially become a grown-up!
Originally founded with the simple ethos to provide great customer service and ‘best-value’ to the public sector, we’ve grown (up) to become the largest independent supplier of franking technology and postal services in the UK, with thousands of happy customers across all sectors and the same core principles.
So why is 21 so special? We thought we’d have a quick attempt at 21 facts about 21…
1 At 21 you were considered old enough to be a key-holder to the family home, but now 40% of parents give keys to children under 18.
2 The 21st Key is meant to be a symbol of the limitless doors you can open for your future.
3 Alec Kendal originally wrote ‘I’m twenty-one today’ in 1911, for he’s a jolly good fellow!
4 It’s a triangular number, as it is the continued summation of the natural numbers… 1+2+3+4+5+6=21
5 The ceremonial meaning of a 21-gun salute varies around the world, but stems from the naval tradition where a warship would fire cannons harmlessly out to sea until spent, to show no hostile intent.
6 First originating in Spain in the C17th , the card game 21 rose to prominence in C18th France before spreading to Europe and America, as Pontoon, Siebzehn und Vier (17+4) and blackjack (so-called as you received an extra payout for winning with a black jack).
7 It’s the atomic number for Scandium, a soft metal and rare-earth element used in the aerospace industry, making it among the most expensive elements, with prices up to $20k per kilo.
8 In 1998 (21 years ago), The Washington Post broke the news about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal on the 21st January, which ended with a 21-day trial in the senate, where he was acquitted of all charges.
9 In the world of Tarot reading, Angel Number 21 is a sign from your angels of advancement and success, it is all about unity, fulfilment, and happiness…
10 Americans reach the legal age for drinking, smoking, entering nightclubs and to buy a handgun at 21, though the age of consent is now between 16-18, as it is for carrying a rifle or shotgun to use for hunting etc.
11 After succeeding as a Page at 7, then a Squire at 14, you could be officially dubbed a Medieval Knight at 21.
12 In badminton and table tennis you need 21 points to win a game, though this must be by 2 clear points.
13 There were 21 shillings in a guinea as declared in 1717, so named as the gold came from the Guinea Coast.
14 Apparently, if you see the mirror hour 21:21 it’s a positive sign from your subconscious that you are going to be recognised for what you have accomplished, or that your project will be met with success!
15 Although Philippines men celebrate coming of age at 21, for women it’s 18 as they are seen to mature sooner.
16 The Dutch celebrate special birthdays on ‘crown’ years (5,10,15,20,21) with an extra special gift and a decorated seat at the table. In South Africa your crown year is celebrated when your age matches your birthday date.
17 Elizabethan wedding customs permitted boys to marry at 14 and girls at 12, with parental permission, though the age of consent was actually 21 and this was seen as when a boy became a man.
18 It’s the minimum age to accompany a learner driver in the UK, providing you’ve had a licence for 3 years.
19 The Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, thereby ending prohibition in the US.
20 For fans of horror and the supernatural and the comeback of IT Chapter Two, Stephen King was born on 21st September 1947.
21 And in the world of pop culture:
The apparently age titled album 21 by Adele is the best-selling UK album of the 21st Century (31 million+) .
21 Seconds by So Solid Crew is so called in order to allow time for each member of the UK garage band to perform their rap. 20 members of the massive, gave 21 seconds each, though only one female, Lisa Mafia.
After 31 years together, R.E.M split on the 21st September 2011 as one of the best-selling (85million+) music artists of all time.
The band name for twenty one pilots comes from All My Sons by Arthur Miller about a man whose decision to supply faulty airplane parts causes the death of 21 pilots. So named to highlight choosing the easy or right decision!
