On the Number 69

69 in Mathematics
1) The 35th odd number = 69
2) The 17th Lucky number = 69
3) The 4th Blum integer = 21, 33, 57, 69
4) The 49th composite number = 69
5) Sum of 22nd & 23rd composite numbers = 34 + 35 = 69
6) Sum of 21st & 24th composite numbers = 33 + 36 = 69
7) Sum of the 1st & 19th prime numbers = 2 + 67 = 69
8) Product of the 2nd & 9th prime numbers = 3 x 23 = 69
9) Sum of the 2nd, 3rd & 18th prime numbers = 3 + 5 + 61 = 69
10) Sum of the 1st, 2nd & 8th square numbers = 1 + 4 + 64 = 69
11) Sum of the 1st, 7th & 10th Fibonacci number = 1 + 13 + 55 = 69
12) Sum of the 1st, 15th 20th odd numbers = 1 + 29 + 39 = 69
13) Sum of the 9th to 14th natural numbers = 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 = 69
14) Sum of the 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 9th triangular numbers = 3 + 6 + 15 + 45 = 69
15) The 5th strobogrammatic number, whose numeral is rotationally
symmetric, so that it appears the same when rotated 180 degrees.
0, 1, 8, 11, 69, 88, 96, 101, 111 (a friend noted that 1881 and 1961
are recent strobogrammatic years, with next one coming in 6009 !)
16) 69 is the only number whose square 692 (4761) and cube 693 (328509)
 use all digits from 0-9, once each.
17) 2nd & 3rd digits of the 10th amicable numbers = 66928 & 66992
18) Square root of 69 = 8.30662
19) Cube root of 69 = 4.10156
20) ln 69 = 4.23410 (natural log to the base e)
21) log 69 = 1.838849 (logarithm to the base 10)
22) Sin 69o = 0.933580
Cos 69o = 0.3583679
Tan 69o = 2.605089
23) 1/69 expressed as a decimal = 0.014492753
24) The 46th & 47th digits of e = 69
The 57th & 58th digits of e = 69
e = 2.7182818284 5904523536 0287471352 6624977572 4709369995
          9574966967 6277240766 3035354759 4571382178 5251664274
          2746639193 2003059921 8174135966 2904357290 0334295260
25) The 41st & 42nd digits of pi, π = 69
The 258th & 259th digits of pi, π = 69
3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679
   8214808651 3282306647 0938446095 5058223172 5359408128 4811174502 8410270193 8521105559 6446229489 5493038196
   4428810975 6659334461 2847564823 3786783165 2712019091 4564856692 3460348610 4543266482 1339360726 0249141273
   7245870066 0631558817 4881520920 9628292540 9171536436 7892590360 0113305305 4882046652 1384146951 9415116094
26) The 239th & 240th digits of phi, φ = 69
Phi or φ = 1.61803 39887 49894 84820 45868 34365 63811 77203 09179 80576
                      28621 35448 62270 52604 62818 90244 97072 07204 18939 11374
                      84754 08807 53868 91752 12663 38622 23536 93179 31800 60766
                      72635 44333 89086 59593 95829 05638 32266 13199 28290 26788
                      06752 08766 89250 17116 96207 03222 10432 16269 54862 62963
1.61803398874989484820 is a irrational number,
also called the Golden Ratio (or Golden number).
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) first called it the sectio aurea,
(Latin for the golden section) and related it to human anatomy.
Ratios may be found in the Pyramids of Giza & the Greek Parthenon.
27) Binary number for 69 = 1000101
(Decimal & Binary Equivalence; Program for conversion)
28) ASCII value for 69 = E
(Hexadecimal # & ASCII Code Chart)
29) Hexadecimal number for 69 = 45
(Hexadecimal # & ASCII Code Chart)
30) Octal number for 69 = 105
(Octal #, Hexadecimal #, & ASCII Code Chart)
31) The 69th day of the year (non-leap year) = March 10
[American playwright Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) was born on March 10, 1903]
32) The Roman numeral for 69 is LXIX.
33) Liu Shí Jiu is the Chinese ideograph for 69.
34) (60, 9) is the Babylonian number for 69
Georges Ifrah, From One to Zero: A Universal History of Numbers,
Penguin Books, New York (1987), pp. 326-327
35) The Hebrew letters Samech (60) & Tet (9)
add to 69 meaning "to flow"
(Hebrew Alphabet, Hebrew Gematria)
36) 69 in different languages:
Dutch: zestig-negen, French: soixante-neuf, German: sechzig-neun, Hungarian: hatvan-kilenc,
Italian: sessanta-nove, Spanish: sesenta-nueve, Swedish: sextio-nio, Turkish: altmis-dokuz

69 in Science & Technology
37) Atomic Number of Thulium (Tm) = 69 (69 protons & 69 electrons)
Pure thulium metal has a bright, silvery luster, which tarnishes on
exposure to air. It is 13th & third-last element in the lanthanide series.
Atomic weight: 168.934. In 1879, Swedish chemist Per Teodor Cleve separated
it from the rare earth oxide erbia. Pure sample of Thulium was obtained in 1911.
38) Chemical Compounds with Molecular Weight = 69
Sodium Nitrite, NNaO2 = 68.99
Trifluoromethyl radical, CF3 = 69.0059
Beryllium Carbonate, CBeO3 = 69.0211
Lithium Nitrate, LiNO3 = 68.946
Isoxazole, C3H3NO = 69.0620
Oxazole, C3H3NO = 69.0620
Acetyl cyanide, C3H3NO = 69.0620
Propiolamide, C3H3NO = 69.0620
39) Biphenyl, C12H10 has a melting point of 69o Celsius
40) 2,3-Dimethyl-1,3-Butadiene, C6H10, has a boiling point of 69o Celsius
Propylcyclopropane, C6H12 has a boiling point of 69o Celsius
Cis-2-Hexene, C6H12 has a boiling point of 69o Celsius
41) 69th amino acid in the 141-residue alpha-chain of Human Hemoglobin is Alanine (A)
69th amino acid in the 146-residue beta-chain of Human Hemoglobin is Glycine (G)
Single-Letter Amino Acid Code
Alpha-chain sequence of human hemoglobin:
VLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGEYGAEALERMFLSFPTTKTYFPHFDLSH
GSAQVKGHGKKVADALTNAVAHVDDMPNALSALSDLHAHKLRVDPVNFKL
LSHCLLVTLAAHLPAEFTPAVHASLDKFLASVSTVLTSKYR
Beta-chain sequence of human hemoglobin:
VHLTPEEKSAVTALWGKVNVDEVGGEALGRLLVVYPWTQRFFESFGDLST
PDAVMGNPKVKAHGKKVLGAFSDGLAHLDNLKGTFATLSELHCDKLHVDP
ENFRLLGNVLVCVLAHHFGKEFTPPVQAAYQKVVAGVANALAHKYH
42) The 69th amino acid in the 153-residue sequence of sperm whale myoglobin
is Leucine (L). It is next to Valine-68 & Threonine-70.
It is designated E12, 12th-residue of the 20-residues E-helix.
— Richard E. Dickerson & Irving Geis,
The Structure and Action of Proteins (1969), p. 52
[A.B. Edmundson, Nature 205, 883-887 (1965)]
43) The 69th amino acid in the 124-residue enzyme Bovine Ribonuclease
is Glutamine (Q) It is next to Glycine-68 and Threonine-70
[C. H. W. Hirs, S. Moore, and W. H. Stein, J. Biol. Chem. 238, 228 (1963)]
44) DNA-binding domain (residues 1 to 69) of the 434 repressor
"Determination of the nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure
of the DNA-binding domain (residues 1 to 69) of the 434 repressor
and comparison with the X-ray crystal structure"
[Dario Neri, Martin Billeter, Kurt Wüthrich, J. Mol. Biol. 223, 743-767 (1992)]
45) "Crystal structure of an Escherichia coli Hfq Core (residues 2-69)-DNA
complex reveals multifunctional nucleic acid binding sites"
[Jillian Orans, et.al., Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 48, 3987-3997 (2020)]
46) Messier M69 (M69, NGC 6637) is a globular cluster in the southern
constellation of Sagittarius. It can be found 2.5o to the northeast of
the star Epsilon Sagittarii and is dimly visible in 50 mm aperture
binoculars. This cluster is at a distance of about 28,700 light-years
away from Earth & 5,200 light-years from the Galactic Center, with
a spatial radius of 45 light-years. Photo by Hubble Space Telescope.
46a) Clements Rose with 69 petals
Coral-pink and light pink.
Moderate fragrance.
Diameter 4"
Height 4.5'
Bred by John Clements (U.S., 2000)
47) NGC 69 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Andromeda. It is a
member of the NGC 68 group. It was discovered in 1855 by R. J. Mitchell,
who described it as "extremely faint, very small, round." (Image)
48) Asteroid 69 Hesperia is a large, M-type main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by
the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli on April 29, 1861 from Milan, while
he was searching for the recently discovered 63 Ausonia. It was his only asteroid
discovery. Schiaparelli named it Hesperia in honour of Italy (the word is a Greek
term for the peninsula). The asteroid is orbiting the Sun with a period of 5.14 years,
a semimajor axis of 2.980 AU, and eccentricity of 0.165, a period of 4.64 years.
49) USS 0-8 (SS-69) was one of 16 O-class submarines built for U.S. Navy
during World War I. They had a length of 172 feet 3 inches overall,
a beam of 18 feet 1 inch and a mean draft of 14 feet 5 inches.
They displaced 521 long tons on the surface and 629 long tons
submerged. The O-class submarines had a crew of 29 officers
& enlisted men. They had a diving depth of 200 feet. The boats
were armed with four 18 inch torpedo tubes in the bow. The O-
class submarines were also armed with a single 3"/50 caliber
deck gun. Launched 12-31-1917. Photo Source: wikimedia.org
50) German submarine U-69 was the first Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's
Kriegsmarine during World War II. This meant that compared to previous
U-boats, she could travel further afield for longer, with a payload of eleven
torpedoes, an 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun for smaller vessels and a flak gun for
use against aircraft. U-69 was very successful, sinking over 72,000 gross
register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping in two years. Tonnage: 757 tons;
Speed: 10 knots; Maximum Depth: 750 ft. Photo Source: wows-gamer-blog.com
51) T-69 U.S. Tank was a U.S. medium tank designed 1951-1958.
Only one was built. Mass: Combat loaded: 38 tons (76,000 lbs);
Length: 8.1m (26 ft 9 in); Width: 3.5m (11 ft 7 in); Height: 2.8m
(9 ft 4 in); Crew: 4 (commander, driver, oader, gunner); Main
armament: 90mm Gun T178 (Autoloader); Propulsion:
500 horsepower; Speed: 41 mph (66 km/hr).
Photo Source: forgottenvehicles.fandom.com
52) F-69 VTOL is a Vertical Take-Off and Landing jet. It is one of the sharpest aircraft
ever seen in the gaming world. The F-69 VTOL has the ability to transform between
a hover mode and a jet mode. Hover mode makes F-69 handle much like a helicopter
and the jet mode makes it fly like a jet, which is useful for quick and efficient travel
across the city of Steelport. The F-69 VTOL is equipped with a microwave Laser
Beam weapon, which fires Swarm Missiles when charged.
Photo Source: saintsrowmods.com
53) LT&SR 69 Class Locomotive: was a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives
designed for freight work on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway.
Six were initially built in 1903 to the design of Thomas Whitelegg, four
more followed in 1908, and a further four in 1912, after the LT&SR's
takeover by the Midland Railway (MR) in that year, giving a total of 14.
The Midland renumbered them 2180-2193, and all entered LMS stock
upon the grouping of 1923. Last engine was withdrawn in 1962, and
none of the small fleet were preserved. Photo Source: wikipedia.org
54) Steam Locomotive 69 The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Canadian and U.S.
Class II 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska,
with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. The railroad began construction in 1898
during the Klondike Gold Rush as a means of reaching the goldfields. With its
completion in 1900, it became the primary route to the interior of the Yukon.
The route continued operation until 1982, and in 1988 was partially revived as
a heritage railway. In July 2018, the railway was purchased by Carnival Corp.
Photo shows Steam Locomotive No 69, filling water at Glacier station 2011.
Photo Source: wikimedia.org
55) NR69 Locomotive: NR69 had received the Pacific National blue and yellow
in early 2009 had has been named "Acacia Ridge". Photo shows NR69
and DL41 race past North Shore on 10/2/2012. The NR class are a class
of Australian diesel locomotive built by A Goninan & Co for National Rail
between 1996 and 1998. They are currently operated by Pacific National.
NR69 is called Acacia Ridge, and has been in service since January 3, 1997.
Closeup photo of NR69. Photo Source: sites.google.com
56) Houston Fire Engine 69 from Firehouse 69 is located at
1102 W Sam Houston Pkwy, Houston, TX. It opened in 1980.
The Fire Chief is Samuel Peña. Not much info at their web site
compared to Fire Station 68. Only the Houston Fire Department
Logo is shown, like a badge with Houston on top, Fire-EMS on
the left, and Rescue on the right. Inside is the flag of Texas half-
blocked by silhouette of buildings. A map of Texas is in the middle,
with 1838 above (fire dept established), hook and ladder at left.
Photo Source:: mfas.com
57) #69 Darrell Basham Arca Car
Darrell Basham (born March 17, 1949) is an American stock car
racing driver and team owner. He currently competes in the ARCA
Racing Series, driving the No. 34 Chevrolet for Darrell Basham Racing.
Photo at left shows #69 car of Darrell Basham on display at the 2018
ARCA race at Madison International Speedway, a half-mile track.
Photo Source: wikimedia.org

69 in Mythology & History
58) 69 B.C.—
• The Roman general & epicure Lucius Lucullus defeats Armenia's
    Tigranes II who has seized Syria, and begins a push into
    the mountains of Armenia and Parthia toward Pontus.
• Cherries from the Black Sea kingdom of Pontus sent
    back by Lucullus introduce a new fruit tree to Europe.
— James Trager (Ed.) The People's Chronology
    Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York, 1979, p. 31
• Pompey installs Antiochus XIII Asiaticus as King of Syria.
• Ptolemy XII deposes Cleopatra V, and becomes sole ruler.
• Princess Cleopatra, later Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt, born January.
— 69 B.C. (Wikipedia.com)
59) 69 A.D.—
• Eight legions on the Rhine refuse allegiance to the Roman Emperor Galba
    and salute as emperor their legate Aulus Vitellius, 54. Galba is murdered
    January 15 along with his newly adopted successor, Piso Licinianus.
    The murderer is Marcus Salvius Otho, 36, a dissolute friend of the late
    emperor Nero, and the Senate recognizes Otho as emperor.
• Aulus Vitellius sends two legions to the Po Valley. They defeat
    the emperor Otho April 19 in the Battle of Bedriacum near Cremona,
    and Otho commits suicide, leaving Vitellius to face a challenge from
    Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus, 59, legate of Judea. The prefect
    of Egypt proclaims Vespasianus emperor July 1, the legate of Syria
    and all the Danubian legions rally to his support, and the emperor
    Vitellius mobilizes forces to oppose them. Antonius Primus, commander
    of the 7th Legion in Pannonia, leads other Danubian legions against
    Vitellius & defeats him in late October in the 2nd Battle of Bedriacum
    He sacks Cremona and forces the Senate to recognize Vespasianus
    as the emperor Vespasian.
• The Roman emperor Vitellius dies in a street battle December 20,
    leaving Vespasian to begin a reign that will contine until 79 AD.
• The emperor Vespasian lays siege to Jerusalem as the Jewish Zealot leader
    John of Giscala continues resistance after having eliminated his rival Eleazar.
— James Trager (Ed.) The People's Chronology
    Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York, 1979, p. 38
• Year of the four emperors: After Nero's death, Galba, Otho and Vitellius
    are all Roman emperor a short time before eventually Vespasian takes over.
• April 14— Battle of Bedriacum: Vitellius defeats Otho's legions.
• October 24— Battle of Second Cremona: Flavians defeats Vitellians.
• December 22— Vespasian becomes Roman emperor.
• The Batavii under Julius Civilis revolt (Batavian rebellion).
• Legio I Macriana liberatrix is disbanded.
— 69 A.D. (fact-index.com)
60) 1969 was the 69th year of the 20th century
and the 10th and last year of the 1960s decade.
The year is associated with the first manned landing on the Moon (Apollo 11),
the creation of the internet, and the commencement of the LGBT Rights Movement.
1-12-1969: NFL football: New York Jets upset Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, 16-7.
                  Joe Namath is game's MVP.
1-20-1969: Richard Nixon is sworn in as the 37th President of the United States.
3-17-1969: Golda Meir becomes the first female prime minister of Israel.
6-22-1969: Judy Garland dies of a drug overdose in her London home.
7-20-1969: Apollo program Moon landing: At 10:56 pm ET, Apollo 11's lunar module Eagle lands on Moon.
                  An estimated 650 million people worldwide, the largest television audience for a live broadcast
                  at this time, watch in awe as Neil Armstrong takes his first historic steps on the surface.
8-15-1969: Woodstock Festival is held near White Lake, NY, featuring some of the era's top rock musicians.
10-16-1969: New York Mets defeat Baltimore Orioles four games to one
                    in one of the greatest World Series upsets in baseball history.
11-10-1969: Sesame Street airs its first episode on the NET network.
11-21-1969: The first ARPANET link is established (the progenitor of the global Internet).
61) 69th Armor Regiment was first activated in 1940 & is part of U.S. Army Regimental System with 2nd
& 3rd Battalion, in separate brigades, representing regiment as a whole. 2-69 AR is now stationed at
Fort Stewart, GA as part of 2nd Armor Brigade Combat Team ("Spartans"), 3rd Infantry Division &
3-69 AR is stationed at Fort Stewart, GA as part of 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team ("Raider"),
3rd Infantry Division. Both battalions are into combat arms battalions (CAB). Coat of arms shows
a panther walking diagonally across the shield. The crest has a cubit arm in armor grasping two
lightning flashes. Ruined towers have a fleur-de-lis on the left & an anchor on the right. Motto
is Vitesse et Puissance ("Speed & Power"). Photo Source: 69th Armor Regiment Insignia (commons.wikimedia.org)
62) 69th U.S. Infantry Regiment was twice a U.S. Regular Army infantry regiment that never saw
combat. Constituted 7-9-1918 in Regular Army as 69th Infantry & assigned to 10th Infantry Division,
Organized 8-10-1918 at Camp Funston, Kansas from personnel of 41st Infantry. Relieved from 10th
Division & demobilized 2-13-1919 at Camp Funston. Constituted 10-1-1933 in Regular Army as 69th
Infantry (Light Tank) & allotted to 7th Corps Area. Began in 1936 with headquarters at Minneapolis, MN.
Disbanded 11-11-1944. Coat of arms shows wyvern with azure background. Wyvern is a fabulous monster
whose glance is death, and to whom is attributed the power to go through flames & to crush & destroy,
also symbolizes mobility. Its motto is Conjunctis Viribus ("With United Powers"). Photo Source: US 69th Infantry (wikipedia.org)
63) 69th Infantry Regiment of New York is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It is from New York City,
part of the New York Army National Guard. It is known as the "Fighting Sixty-Ninth",
a name said to have been given by Robert E. Lee during the Civil War. An Irish heritage unit,
as the citation from poet Joyce Kilmer illustrates, this unit is also nicknamed the "Fighting Irish",
immortalized in Joyce Kilmer's poem "When the 69th Comes Home". Between 1917 and 1992 it was also
designated as the 165th Infantry Regiment. It is headquartered at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan.
The regiment currently consists of a single light infantry battalion (1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment)
and is part of the 27th Infantry Brigade of the 42nd Infantry Division. Its history dates back to 1849,
when it was created as the 9th Regiment New York State Militia, and A Company, 1/69 can trace roots back
to the American Revolution as one of several National Guard units with colonial roots. The regiment has
seen combat in five wars: the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Iraq War and the
Afghanistan War. The regiment's insignia shows both 1861 regimental dress cap device braced
by two Irish Wolfhounds and red shamrock. These are separated by a rainbow. Its crest
shows Henry Hudson's ship Halve Maen.
Photo Source: 69th Infantry of New York (commons.wikimedia.org)
64) At Age 69:
Aeschylus (525 BC-456 BC) was killed by a tortoise falling
on his head (456 BC) at age 69. The tortoise is dropped by
a passing eagle which believed his bald head to be a rock.
Aeschylus was an ancient Greek tragedian. He is often
described as the father of tragedy. Academics' knowledge of
the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier
tragedies is largely based on inferences from his surviving
plays. according to Aristotle, he expanded the number of
characters in the theatre and allowed conflict among them;
characters previously had interacted only with the chorus.
His trilogy The Oresteia— Agamemnon, Libation Bearers and Eumenides, were read at Columbia's Humanities program.
Photo Sources: Aeschylus (wikipedia.org); Death of Aeschylus (wikipedia.org)
Sophocles (497 BC-405 BC) is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays
have survived. At age 69, his Oedipus Rex was performed. He wrote over 120 plays, but only 7 have survived: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in dramatic competitions of city-state of Athens taking place during religious festivals of Lenaea and Dionysia. He competed in 30 competitions, won 24, and was never judged lower than 2nd place. Aeschylus won 13 competitions, while Euripides won 4 competitions. The most famous tragedies of Sophocles feature Oedipus & also Antigone: they are generally known as the Theban plays.
Sophocles influenced the development of drama, most importantly by adding a third actor, thereby reducing importance of chorus in presentation of the plot.
He also developed his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights.
(Photo Source: Sophocles commons.wikimedia.org)
Euripides (480 BC-406 BC) was a tragedian of classical Athens. At age 69, he appears in
Aristophanes' play Thesmophoriazusae (411 BC). Euripides says "Today the women at the
festival / Are going to kill me for insulting them!" A year earlier, he produced the plays
Helen and Andromeda (412 BC). Scholars attribute 92 plays to Euripides. Of these, 18 have
survived. More of his plays have survived intact than those of Aeschylus & Sophocles,
because his popularity grew as theirs declined. He became, in Hellenistic Age, a cornerstone
of ancient literary education, along with Homer, Demosthenes, & Menander. Euripides has
profoundly influenced drama down to modern times, representing mythical heroes as
ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Yet he also became "most tragic of poets",
focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown.
He was "creator of that cage which is the theatre of Shakespeare's Othello, Racine's Phèdre,
of Ibsen and Strindberg," in which "imprisoned men and women destroy each other by the
intensity of their loves and hates". (Photo Source: commons.wikimedia.org)
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was a Renaissance-era mathematician and astronomer,
who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at the
center of the universe. He had written De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On Revolutions
of the Celestial Spheres) at age 69, published just before his death in 1543. It was a major
paradigm shift in the history of science. There is a portrait of Copernicus holding a lily
of the valley (1587), based Tobias Stimmer 's sketch (1570). What's interesting about this
portrait is Copernicus's fingers are in the widom mudra pose similar to many Einstein
photos. Taught a WPI seminar on "Einstein and the Wisdom Mudra" (Jan. 14-16, 1980),
found 5 portraits of Copernicus in the wisdom mudra pose (1, 2, 3, 4). Since this is a
favorite Buddha pose, it shows Copernicus to be a meditatve person, as evidenced in
the preface of his book. The postage stamp Poland 579 (issued 5-22-1953) honors the
480th birth anniversary of Copernicus. (Photo Source: colnect.com)
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, described
as a polymath, from Pisa. Galileo has been called "father of observational astronomy",
the "father of modern physics", the "father of the scientific method", and the "father of
modern science". Galileo alienated his biggest & most powerful supporters, the Pope,
and was called to Rome to defend his writings in September 1632. He finally arrived in
February 1633 at age 69, and was brought before inquisitor Vincenzo Maculani to be
charged. His final interrogation, in July 1633, with his being threatened with torture
if he did not tell the truth, but he maintained his denial despite the threat. In 1592,
Galileo dropped two spheres of different masses from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to
demonstrate that their time of descent was independent of their mass. Italy 888 stamp
honors 400th anniversary of Galileo's birth. [Photo Source: colnect.com) issued 2-15-1964]
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. At age 69, his secular
oratorio The Seasons was performed in Vienna (4-24-1801). Haydn was instrumental in development
of chamber music such as the piano trio. His contributions to musical form have earned him the epithets
"Father of the Symphony" & "Father of the String Quartet". Haydn spent much of his career as court musician
for wealthy Esterházy family at their remote estate. Until later part of his life, this isolated him from other
composers and trends in music so that he was, as he put it, "forced to become original". His music circulated
widely, and he was the most celebrated composer in Europe. He was a friend & mentor of Mozart, a tutor of
Beethoven, & older brother of composer Michael Haydn. [Photo Source: Austria B50 Haydn (colnect.com) issued 4-24-1922]
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German composer, theatre director, and conductor, chiefly known
for his operas. At age 69, his Parsifal premiered (7-22-1882). Unlike most opera composers, he wrote
both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. He revolutionised opera through his concept
of the Gesamtkunstwerk ("total work of art"), by which he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical
& dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama. He described this vision in a series of essays published
between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the four-opera cycle
"The Ring of the Nibelung". He dies a few months after 1st Parsifal perfomance. His wife Cosima & son
Siegfried kept Bayreuth Festival running for 47 years. [Photo Source: Austria 1347 Wagner (colnect.com) issued 5-21-1986]
Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays
of late 19th and early 20th centuries, including La Dame Aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas, fils; Ruy Blas by
Victor Hugo; Fédora and La Tosca by Victorien Sardou; and L'Aiglon by Edmond Rostand. She also played male
roles, including Shakespeare's Hamlet. Rostand called her "queen of the pose and princess of the gesture", while
Hugo praised her "golden voice". She made several theatrical tours around the world, and was one of first prominent
actresses to make sound recordings & to act in motion pictures. At age 69, she has a leg amputated (1914). She refused
the idea of an artificial leg, crutches, or a wheelchair, and instead was usually carried in a palanquin she designed,
supported by two long shafts and carried by two men. Traveled to Battle of Verdun and Battle of the Argonne,
where she performed for the soldiers. At 71-72, she goes on her last acting tour of the United States. Bernhardt
performed four days before her death at age 78 (3-26-1923).
[Photo Source: France B191 Sarah Bernhardt (ebay.com) issued 5-16-1945]
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian-born composer, pianist, and conductor. He is widely considered
20th century's most important & influential composer. At age 69, his The Rake's Progress premiered in Venice
(9-11-1951, based loosely on eight paintings and engravings (1733-1735) of William Hogarth. Stravinsky's
compositional career was notable for its stylistic diversity. He first achieved international fame with three
ballets commissioned by the impresario Serge Diaghilev and first performed in Paris by Diaghilev's Ballets
Russes: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), The Rite of Spring (1913). The latter transformed way in which
subsequent composers thought about rhythmic structure & was largely responsible for Stravinsky's enduring
reputation as a musical revolutionary who pushed the boundaries of musical design.
[Photo Source: U.S. 1845 Igor Stravinsky (colnect.com) issued 11-18-1982]
Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) was an American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor & futurist.
He published more than 30 books, coining or popularizing terms such as "Spaceship Earth", "Dymaxion" house/
car, ephemeralization, synergetic, and "tensegrity". Carbon molecules known as fullerenes were later named by
scientists for their structural & mathematical resemblance to geodesic spheres. In 1964, at age 69, he publishes
Aspension (Suspension Building). In 1927, at age 32, Fuller had a mystical experience, seeing himself suspended
several feet above the ground enclosed in a white sphere of light. A voice spoke to "find what a single individual
could contribute to change the world & benefit all humanity". Met Bucky at Sphinx Bookstore (3-30-1981),
where he signed a book for me "The brain is temporal, but the Mind is eternal."
[Photo Source: U.S. 3870 Bucky Fuller (bardostamps.com) issued 7-12-2004]
Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004) was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat.
Regarded as one of 20th century's great poets, Milosz won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature
at age 69. In its citation, Swedish Academy called Milosz a writer who "voices man's exposed
condition in a world of severe conflicts". Milosz survived German occupation of Warsaw during
World War II. 20th centuryWhen communist authorities threatened his safety, he defected to
France and ultimately chose exile in the United States, where he became a professor at UC-Berkeley.
His poetry— particularly about his wartime experience— and his appraisal of Stalinism in a prose
book, The Captive Mind, brought him renown as a leading émigré artist and intellectual.
[Photo Source: Lithuania 943 Czeslaw Milosz (colnect.com) issued 6-18-2011]
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) was an American politician who served as 40th U.S. President (1981-1989).
At age 69, he was the oldest person elected, defeating Jimmy Carter. He became an influential voice
of modern conservatism. Prior to his presidency, he was a Hollywood actor & union leader before serving
as 33rd California governor (1967-1975). At 70, Reagan survived a bullet from a would-be assassin (3-30-1981)
outside Washington Hilton hotel. He was released from the hospital on April 11. Speaking at the Berlin Wall
(6-12-1987), Reagan challenged Gorbachev, "if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union &
Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev,
tear down this wall!" Berlin Wall fell on Nov. 9, 1989, with many crediting Reagan in ending the Cold War.
Reagan graduated from Eureka College, and was invited to give the 1957 Commencement Address there.
He invoked the Los Angeles occultist Manly P. Hall's story of Secret Destiny of America. (Book)
[Photo Source: U.S.3897 Ronald Reagan (colnect.com), issued 2-9-2005]

• Andrea Palladio (1508-1580), designed Il Redentore Church in Venice (1577) at age 69.
• Claude Lorrain (1600-1682) paints "Landscape with Dancers" (1669) at age 69.
• Elihu Yale (1649-1721), donates books to a new college (1718) at age 69 that becomes Yale University.
• J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) paints "Rain, Steam, and Speed" (1844) at age 69.
• Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919) dies in 1919 at age 69 and leaves his house as the Frick Museum in NYC.
• Harold Lloyd (1893-1971) puts together his early films into "World of Comedy" (1962) at age 69.
• Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) founder of ISKCON (1966), started "Hare Krishna Movement". at age 69.
• Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) designs Finlandia Hall (1967-1971) in Helsinki at age 69.
• Gunnar Myrdal (1898-1987) publishes "Asian Drama: An Inquiry into Poverty of Nations" (1968) at age 69.
• Margaret Mead (1901-1978) publishes "Culture and Commitment" (1970) at age 69.
• Korczak Ziolkowski (1908-1982), sculpts "Crazy Horse Memorial" (1978) at age 69.
• Balthus (1908-2001) paints "The Cat in the Mirror" (1977-1978) at age 69.
    [Sources: Jeremy Baker, Tolstoy's Bicycle (1982), pp. 447-451, and Wikipedia.org.]


69 in Geography
65) Cities located at 69o longitude:
Río Gallegos, Argentina: 69o 13' W longitude & 51o 38' S latitude
Qaanaaq, Greenland: 69o 14' W longitude & 77o 28' N latitude
Augusta, Maine: 69o 47' W longitude & 44o 19' N latitude
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: 69o 57' W longitude & 18o 28 N latitude
66) Cities located at 69o latitude:
Norilsk, Russia: 69o 20' N latitude & 68o 13' E longitude
Tuktoyaktuk, Canada: 69o 27' N latitude & 133o 02' W longitude
Tromsø, Norway: 69o 41' N latitude & 18o 57' E longitude
Kirkenes, Norway: 69o 43' N latitude & 30o 02' E longitude
67) 690 is used as the country code for telephones in Tokelau in Oceania.
68) European Route E69 is an E-road between Olderfjord and North Cape in northern
Norway. Road is 129 km (80 mi) long. Contains 5 tunnels, totalling 15.5 km (9.6 mi).
The longest, North Cape Tunnel, is 6.9 km (4.3 mi) long and reaches 212 m (696 ft)
below sea level. E69 is northernmost road in the world with connections to a major
international road network. Roads further north in locations including Svalbard and
Greenland are isolated and short. (Photo Source: commons.wikimedia.org)
69) U.S. Route 69 s a major north-south United States highway. When it was first created,
it was only 150 miles (241 km) long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to
Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus (as well as those of US 287
and US 96) is in Port Arthur, Texas at an intersection with State Highway 87. Its northern
terminus is in Albert Lea, MN at Minnesota State Highway 13. US 69 runs across 6 states:
Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas. U.S. Route 69 Alternate is a special
route of U.S. Hwy 69, traveling 20.3 miles between junctions east of Commerce, OK and
north of Crestline, KS. (Photo Source: commons.wikimedia.org)
70) Connecticut Route 69 is a primary north-south state highway in the U.S. state
of Connecticut connecting the city of New Haven to the city of Bristol in the
western part of Greater Hartford, passing through Greater Waterbury along
the way. The route extends north of Bristol as a secondary route into the town
of Burlington. Route 69 is 35.16 miles (56.58 km) in total length.
(Photo Source: commons.wikimedia.org)
71) M-69 Michigan Highway is an east-west state trunkline highway
in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of the U.S. state of Michigan. It connects
with US Highway 2 (US 2) on both ends in Crystal Falls and near
Bark River. In between, the highway runs for 65.260 miles (105.026 km)
in rural UP forest lands. M-69 Highway has existed from July 1, 1919
to the present. (Photo Source: commons.wikimedia.org)
72) King's Highway 69 has had the most turbulent and complicated past of any King's Highway
in Ontario. The road has gone from a minor gravel two-lane rural highway to a major arterial
route. Most of the highway became part of the Trans-Canada Highway System in 1960.
The highway has seen numerous major re-routings and realignments since it was first
commissioned in 1936. Towns Served: Nobel, Pointe-au-Baril, Byng Inlet, Britt, Estaire
& Sudbury. Southern Terminus: Hwy 400— North of Hwy 559 in Nobel. Northern
Terminus: Hwy 17— Sudbury. Current Length: 138.2 km / 85.9 miles.
(Photo Source: thekingshighway.ca/)
73) India's National Highway 69 (previously National Highway 4 / NH 206),
is a major National Highway in India, that runs through the states of Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh. The western terminal is at the junction of NH 66 near
Honnavar and terminates at the east end at Chittoor. It passes through Honnavar,
Sagara, Shivamoga,Tarikere, Banavara, Huliyar, Bukkapatna, Sira, Madhugiri,
Gowribidanur, Chikkaballapur, Sidlaghatta, Chintamani, Srinivasapura, Mulbagal,
Nangali in Karnataka and in Andhra Pradesh it passes through Palamaner, Chittoor.
Length in Andhra Pradesh is 62 km (39 miles). (Photo Source: commons.wikimedia.org)
74) M69 motorway is a 15.7-mile (25.3 km) dual three lane dual carriageway
motorway in Leicestershire & Warwickshire, England. Runs between junction
21 of M1 near Leicester & junction 2 of the M6 near Coventry. It opened in 1977.
Since the completion of the M69 motorway linking Coventry and Leicester,
the motorway's number has given its name to the derby between two football
clubs playing in each city— Coventry City & Leicester City. These two clubs are rivals in the M69 derby.
(Photo Source: commons.wikimedia.org)
75) 69th Street station (IRT Flushing Line) is a local station on IRT Flushing Line
of the New York City Subway. Located at 69th Street & Roosevelt Avenue in the
Woodside, Queens, it is served by the 7 train at all times. Flushing Line was
opened from Queensboro Plaza to Alburtis Ave. (now 103rd Street-Corona
Plaza) on 4-21-1917, with a local station at 69th Street. Platforms at 69th St were
extended in 1955-1956 to accommodate longer trains. 69 Street-Fisk Av station
is cream colored windscreens and platform canopies over the middle of the two
side platforms (for 3 tracks) and the ends of the platforms left exposed with just
a low-black fence. 1,564,387 passengers rode in 2019. (Photo Source: subwaynut.com)
76)
East 69th Street Manhattan
NYSideways on East 69th Street, filled with artistic and creative boutiques.
Marie-Helene de Taillac (20 East 69th St)— boutique with exquisite jewelry.
Fivestory (18 East 69th St)— gems and women's fashion.
Richard L. Feigen (34 East 69th St)— Impressionist & early modern masters.
New York Conservatory of Music (321 East 69th St)— over 1000 students.
1st Hungarian Reformed Church in NYC (344 East 69th St)— oldest in area.
(Photo Source: 333 East 69th Street realtyhop.com)
77)
69th Street Manhattan Residential Buildings
1893 Charles F. Schmidt House, 30 West 69th St (Built in 1892);
William Orr Barclay House, 32 West 69th Street (Designed in 1892);
Henry Hughes House, 108 West 69th Street (Built in 1886).
John Achelis House, 16 West 69th Street (Built in 1895).
Thom & Wilson's 1886 190-198 Columbus Avenue,
100 West 69th Street (Built in 1886)
Actors, Composers, Artists and a Spy 61-65 West 69th St (Built in 1886)
Dr. Armgaard Karl Graves lived here in 1915, and was an elite spy for
Imperial Germany. (Photo Source: 30 West 69th St. daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com)
78) 69 Rue de la Glacière in Paris is the site
of Cuccagna, an Italian Restaurant with
good reviews— 8.8 for food, 9.4 for service.
A 7-story apartment on the block with 291 tenants.
Nova scoot sells vintage & modern scooter & accessories.
(Photo Source: tripadvisor.com)
79) VAT-69 Building in South Queensberry, Scotland. Vat 69 is a young bargain basement
whisky with light, fresh & slightly spicy taste profile, also used often for cocktails.
In 1882, William Sanderson a liquor manufacturer from Leith, Scotland, prepared
100 casks of blended whisky and hired a panel of experts to taste them. The batch from
the cask (or "vat"") with number 69 was judged to be best, & this provided the whisky's
brand name. 'Vat 69' has appeared in books, television programmes, including 'Dr Who'
& 'Yes Minister' & also British, Japanese, Pakistani & Bollywood movies. Queensferry
Museum holds whisky bottles from the local Vat 69 bottling and blending plant..
(Photo Source: noelonwhisky.blogspot.com)
80) George W. Dunne Cook County Office Building is located at the southwest corner
of Dearborn and Washington Streets in the heart of Chicago's central business district.
The address is 69 West Washington Street. The 37-story building, which was purchased
y the county in 1997, was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1963, completed
in 1965 and features floor-to-ceiling windows that create extraordinary interior light.
The building is the home to the world class sculpture by Spanish artist Joan Miro,
Miró's Chicago which was unveiled in 1981 and is located in the building's adjacent
western plaza. (Photo Source: 69westwashington.com)
81)
Stanford Bronze Plaque 69 is on the ground 69 yards to the right
of Stanford University's Memorial Church. It is in front of the archway
between Buildings 60 & 70. The plaque is dedicated to Class of 1969.
First graduating class at Stanford was 1892. In 1980, Stanford Provost
Don Kennedy strolled around the Inner Quad and calculated that it
would take 512 years for the bronze class plaques embedded in the
walkways to circle the entire area ending with the Class of 2403.
(Photo by Peter Y. Chou, 8-14-2020)

69 in Art, Books, Music, & Films
82)
Woodblock Print #69
Hiroshige's 100 Views of Edo

"Hall of 33 Bays,
Fukugawa" (1857)
Brooklyn Museum

inspiring this stanza:

  Two lofty pines in the foreground—
  an archery contest is underway
  whose arrow will hit the target?

Brooklyn Museum Notes: Hall of 33 Bays was under the jurisdiction
of Eitaiji Temple, whose garden was the subject of the previous print.
This view from behind elongated hall is a skillful expression of use of
long rear veranda as an archery range. A shooting trial seems to be
underway, with contestants expected to shoot arrows so they stayed
within confines of the veranda, clearing the length of the building
without hitting any part of it. Shooting speed was as important
as accuracy. Photo Source: Woodblock #69 (theartofjapan.com)
83) Krishna Print #69 shows "Radha and Krishna with an ox"
from Krishna Darshan Art Gallery featuring 188 paintings of Lord Krishna.
84) "Sleeping 69" is a sigil for the astrological sign for Cancer. It is the fourth
astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer.
It spans from 90o to 120o celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac,
the Sun transits this area between June 22 and July 22. In astrology, Cancer
is the cardinal sign of the Water, and its ruling planet is the Moon. The sign
is most often represented by the crab. Photo Source: Cancer Sigil (wikimedia.org)
85) Bach Cantata 69 "Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele" (Praise the Lord, my soul), is a cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach. Written in 1723 during his first year in Leipzig. Bach revived the
work later in the 1720s, changing instrumentation of one of the arias. In 1748, he reworked
the cantata for church service which was held to mark inauguration of a town council.
Recitatives and chorale were changed. In this form, it was first performed on 8-26-1748.
Festive orchestration of original work was suitable for the new occasion. Text of first
movement is from Psalm 103. Chorale is third verse of "Es woll uns Gott genädig sein"
by Martin Luther (1524). YouTube. Photo Source: Bach Cantata 69 (bach-cantatas.com)
86) Symphony 69 by Joseph Haydn in C major, Hoboken I/69, known as the "Laudon" symphony.
Composed around 1775-1776, it represents a stylistic departure from the composer's earlier
intense Sturm und Drang period and was written at the same time as Haydn was writing
numerous comic operas. Despite the lighter tone, however, the symphony is "as finely crafted,
as interesting, indeed as original, as the preceding ones, albeit very different in character."
"Laudon" symphony is scored for two oboes, two bassoons, two horns in C basso, two
trumpets, timpani & strings. Nickname refers to Austrian war hero, General Ernst Gideon
Freiherr von Laudon who conquered the Turks. YouTube. Photo Source: Symphony 69 (discogs.com)
87) Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1808.
The sonata was composed in the same year as the Piano Trios Op. 70 and the Choral Fantasy,
and the same year the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, which were begun earlier, premiered.
It was first performed in March 1809 by cellist Nikolaus Kraft and pianist Dorothea von
Ertmann, and dedicated to Baron Ignaz von Gleichenstein, who was a cellist himself.
Mark Kaplan writes: "writing in Op. 69 is thinner than in the early cello sonatas... greater
compositional technique allowed Beethoven possibility of using fewer notes with confidence."
Contemporary cellist Steven Isserlis describes it as first cello sonata in history to give two
instruments equal importance. YouTube. Photo Source: Beethoven's Cello Sonata #3 (amazon.com)
88) Nine Songs Op. 69, were written by Johannes Brahms in 1877, for voice and piano.
The songs of Op. 69 initiate the four consecutive sets that occupy the opus numbers between
the first two symphonies. These four opus numbers, along with the slightly l ater Opp. 84-86,
comprise the songs of the "high maturity". Because Op. 69 is about twice as long as the other
three sets, it was published in two books. Brahms submitted all four sets to Clara Schumann
for individual comments and critiques, which are preserved in their letters. Five of the songs
from Op. 69 are folk-based. The others, Nos. 5-8, are similar in tone. German texts & English
translations of the songs are found here. YouTube. Photo Source: Brahm's Nine Songs (imslp.org)
89) Elvis Presley's 1969 Las Vegas run was a crown jewel in the King's comeback
(By Kenneth Womack, USA Today, 8-9-2019)
For Elvis Presley, summer of 1969 marked apex of his legend. With flurry of concerts in
Las Vegas, the King cemented his legacy. When shows began at end of July, Elvis was greeted
with a standing ovation. He launched into a fiery version of "Blue Suede Shoes". He burned
his way through "Hound Dog" & "Jailhouse Rock", while showing off his revitalized chops
With medley of Beatles' "Yesterday" & "Hey Jude". With yet another standing ovation, Elvis
brought the house down with "Can't Help Falling in Love", his climactic encore. (usatoday.com)
90) Star 69 was an English alternative rock band headed by Julie Daniels, who released a single
full-length album and a number of EPs in the late 1990s, as well as providing "You Are Here"
for the soundtrack to the 1997 movie Trojan War. Star 69 was established in London, England,
when American transplant Julie Daniels placed an ad in Melody Maker for musicians to form a
band. Their album, Eating February, was released by MCA Records in U.S. and by Radioactive
Records in UK in Feb. 1997. Received lukewarm response, & band broke up soon. YouTube.
Image Source: Star 69 (trkiwanis.org)
91) The 69 Eyes are a multi-platinum-selling Finnish gothic rock band. They are currently signed
to EMI Finland. The band's albums are now distributed worldwide. The End Records acts as
the band's official North American distributor, a s Nuclear Blast Records provides distribution
in Europe. Australia will be handled by AmpHead Music. Asian & Latin American releases
are handled by EMI affiliates. Formed in the bars of Helsinki, Finland in summer of 1989 by
Jyrki 69, Archzie (formerly of Syyskuu), Timo-Timo, Lotto & Bazie, The 69 Eyes originally
had a glam metal style and were compared to other Finnish glam metal acts such as Smack
and Hanoi Rocks. YouTube. Photo Source: The 69 Eyes (discogs.com)

69 in Sports & Games
92) Baseball's 69th World Series (1972) matched American League champion Oakland Athletics
and the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. The Athletics won in seven games.
It was the first World Series championship for the Athletics since 1930. Oakland's catcher
Gene Tenace was spectacular, hitting four home runs equaling the World Series mark set
by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Hank Bauer. He also had nine RBI in the Series— no other
Oakland player had more than one. Tenace was voted World Series MVP. Six of the seven
games in the series were decided by one run, marking perhaps the most closely contested
World Series in history. Two future A's Hall-of-Famers starred: Catfish Hunter won 2 games,
while Rollie Fingers saved 2 games. Tony Perez of Reds had the most hits (10), but they were
all singles. — Joseph Reichler (Ed.), The Baseball Encyclopepia (7th Ed.), (1988), p. 2793.
Photo Source: 1972 World Series Program (baseball-almanac.com)
93) Baseball's 69th All-Star Game (1998) between the all-stars of American League (AL) and
National League (NL). The game was held on July 7, 1998, at Coors Field in Denver, CO,
home of Colorado Rockies of National League. It was first All-Star contest played in the
Mountain Time Zone, with American League defeating National League 13-8. It remains
the highest-scoring All-Star Game in MLB history. Roberto Alomar won the MVP.
Photo Source: 1998 All-Stars Logo (wikipedia.org)
94) Most Career Games with Multiple Home Runs—
Ranked 3rd with 69: Sammy Sosa
(#1 Babe Ruth 72; #2 Barry Bonds 71)
Lyle Spatz (Ed.), The SABR Baseball List & Record Books, 3rd Ed. (2007), p. 47
95) Best Career Winning Percentage by a Pitcher—
Ranked 3rd and 4th with .690 by Dave Foutz and Whitey Ford
(#1 Spud Chandler .717, #2 Clayton Kershaw .695)
Lyle Spatz (Ed.), The SABR Baseball List & Record Books, 3rd Ed. (2007), p. 202
96) Most Career Wins in Relief—
Ranked 29th with 69— Pedro Borbon Sr.
(#1 Hoyt Wilhelm 124, #2 Lindy McDaniel 119, #3 Goose Gossage 115)
Lyle Spatz (Ed.), The SABR Baseball List & Record Books, 3rd Ed. (2007), p. 215
97) Most Career Loss in Relief—
Ranked 19 with 69— Roger MacDowell & Tug McGraw
(#1 Gene Garber 108; #2 Hoyt Wilhelm 103; #3 Rollie Fingers 101)
Lyle Spatz (Ed.), The SABR Baseball List & Record Books, 3rd Ed. (2007), p. 216
98) 69 combined points scored by both teams in NFL Super Bowl 1993
listed as the third Biggest Blowouts in Super Bowl history.
Dallas Cowboys beats Buffalo Bills 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII (1993)
by margin of 35 points. Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was
named Super Bowl MVP, completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards
and four touchdowns for a passer rating of 140.6.
Mike Meserole, The Ultimate Book of Sports Lists 1998
DK Publishing, Inc. New York, 1997, p. 53
99) Highest Scoring in NCAA Tournament for Single Game—
Pete Maravich ranks 2nd with 69 points
as Louisiana State beats Alabama (2-7-1970)
(#1 Kevin Bradshaw 72 with U.S. International)
Mike Meserole, The Ultimate Book of Sports Lists 1998
DK Publishing, Inc. New York, 1997, p. 88
100) 69 points scored by Michael Jordan as Chicago beats
Cleveland in overtime (3-28-1970 in NBA.
Mike Meserole, The Ultimate Book of Sports Lists 1998
DK Publishing, Inc. New York, 1997, p. 110
101) Lee Trevino scored 69-68-69-69
for 275 to win the 1968 U.S. Open in Golf
at East Course of Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY. .
Mike Meserole, The Ultimate Book of Sports Lists 1998
DK Publishing, Inc. New York, 1997, p. 141
102) Rickey Henderson sets single season stolen bases with 130. His 69th stolen base came on
June 25, 1982 against Frank Tanana of Texas Rangers when he stoled 2nd base in 1st inning.
103) Basketball & Football Players with Uniform #69—

Larry Costello #69
Niagara University (1953)
Philadelphia 76ers (1966-1968)
Woody Peoples #69
San Francisco 49ers (1968-1977)
Philadelphia Eagles (1978-1980)
Jon Runyan #69
Houston Oilers (1996-1999)
Philadelphia Eagles (2000-2008)
Keith Sims #69
Miami Dolphins (1990-1997)
Washington Redskins (1998-2000)
• Larry Costello (1931-2001) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was known as the NBA's last two-handed
set shooter. He played with Wilt Chamberlain on the Philadelphia 76ers team tat won the 1967 NBA championship. He coached the
Lew Alcindor-led Milwaukee Bucks to the league crown in 1971. Costello's association with 69 has much deeper roots. On Feb. 21, 1953,
Costello, a junior at Niagara University, wearing his familiar No. 24 in a game against Siena, played 69 minutes, 40 seconds, and scored
three late baskets in the six-overtime thriller won by the Purple Eagles, 88-81. Coach Taps Gallagher, thrilled with the win, changed
Costello's number to 69, which he wore the final year of his college career but never again. Costello's yeoman effort has not been
forgotten. The 69 jersey is officially retired and now hangs from the ceiling of Niagara's Gallagher Center.
• Woody Peoples (1943-2010) was an American football offensive lineman. The undrafted Grambling State University standout
was a two-time Pro Bowler with the San Francisco 49ers, and a member of the 1980 National Football Conference (NFC) champion
Philadelphia Eagles during his 13-year National Football League (NFL) career. Peoples was inducted into the American Football
Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame 1989.
• John Runyan (b. Nov. 27, 1973) is an American athlete and politician who was the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 3rd
congressional district from 2011 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before entering politics, he was an American
football offensive tackle in the National Football League, where he played for 14 seasons. He was a participant in the 2003
Pro Bowl following the 2002 NFL season. He's big (330 lbs), strong and nasty— everything you want in anoffensive tackle.
• Keith Sims (b. June 17, 1967) is a former American football player in the National Football League who played offensive line
for 11 seasons between 1990 and 2000 for the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins. Sims and Richmond Webb were
leaders on a dominant Miami offensive line in the mid-1990s. He was elected to the Pro Bowl three times, in 1993, 1994 & 1995.
Dan Marino never had much of a running game to help him out, but at least he had Keith Sims protecting his blind side.
Reference: Sporting News, Best By Number: Who Wore What With Distinction (2006), p. 177;
Photo Sources: Larry Costello (amazon.com); Woody Peolpes (pinterest.com);
Jon Runyan (bleedinggreennation.com); Keith Sims (comc.com);
104) 69th Kentucky Derby was won by Count Fleet in 2:04 with jockey Johnny Longden aboard (May 1, 1943).
Count Fleet was the 6th horse to win the Triple Crown.
105) 69th Preakness was won by Pensive in 1:59.2 with jockey Conn McCreary aboard (May 13, 1944);
Pensive who won the Kentucky Derby was in the lead at Belmont to win the Triple Crown,
when Bounding Home inched by to take the race by less than half a length.
106) 69th Belmont Stakes was won by War Admiral in 2:28.6 with jockey Charles Kurtsinger on board (June 5, 1937)
With the win, War Admiral became the fourth Triple Crown champion.
107) 69th Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Tony Trabert defeated Kurt Nielsenin the final,
6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to win the Gentlemen's Singles tennis title on July 1, 1955
108) 69th Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Angela Mortimer defeats Christine Truman
4-6, 6-4, 7-5 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title on July 8, 1961
109) 69th U.S. Open Tennis: Pancho Gonzales defeats Ted Schroeder
16-18, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 on 9-5-1949
It was longest singles final match by games (67), before tiebreaker introduction.
110) 69th U.S. Golf Open: Orville Moody won his only PGA Tour title, one stroke ahead
of runners-up Deane Beman, Bob Rosburg, and Al Geiberger. He scored 281 at the
Cypress Creek Course of Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. on June 15, 1969.
111) 69th Boston Marathon: Morio Shigematsu of Japan wins in 2:16.33 (record time).
Last year's winner Aurèle Vandendriessche finished 4th @ 2:17.44. (April 19, 1965).

69 in Collectibles, Coins & Postage Stamps
112) 1869-S U.S. Seated Liberty Silver Half Dollar,
Obverse: Seated Liberty with 13 Stars & Coinage Year
Reverse: Bald Eagle holding Olive Branches & Arrows
with banner "IN GOD WE TRUST" above the eagle.
Years of Minting: 1840-1873; Mintage: 656,000
at San Francisco; Designer: Christian Gobrecht;
Metal Composition: 90% Silver & 10% Copper.
Mint Coin selling for $2421 at auction
Photo Source: usacoinbook.com
113) 1869 U.S. Shield Nickel,
Obverse: Shield & Coinage Year, "In God We Trust" at top
Reverse: 13 Stars surround "5" with Cents at bottom
Years of Minting: 1866-1883; Mintage: 16,395,000
at Philadelphia; Designer: James B. Longacre;
Metal Composition: 75% Copper & 25% Nickel.
Estimated Value is Worth $23 in Average Condition
and $152 to $244 in Uncirculated Mint Condition.
Photo Source: usacoinbook.com
114) 1969 Golden Spike Bronze Medal
celebrating 100th Anniversary (1869-1969) of Transcontinental Railroad
at Utah. Obverse of Medal: Two locomotives approaching each other,
with background mountains. with "...The Pacific Railawy is Completed"
May 10, 1869. Perimeter of Medal: "The Central Pacific and Union Pacific
Railroads Linking the Nation * Promontory Summit, Utah". Reverse of
Medal: Golden Spike through Dates 1869 and 1969. Perimeter of Medal:
Golden Spike Centennial Celebration Commission * The Oceans United
by Railways. Mintage: 118,700, Philadelphia; Auction Price: $14.00
Golden Spike at Stanford's Cantor Arts Center (Photo Source: worthpoint.com)
115) 1869 Occult Odd Fellow Bronze Medallion
Obverse of Medal: Shows a mesmerizing Metaphysical Mystical and Occult composition.
Features the Holy All Seeing Eye, great Beams of Light, Bare-Breasted Angels and Goddess,
Miracle of Birth, curious characters & the Secret Society Handshake. There is a Bearded Face
that is Jesus-like in appearance. On the bottom is their motto: "Friendship, Love and Truth"
in a ribbon. Medal's Reverse: I.O.O.F. Grand National Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary,
Philadelphia, April 26, 1869. Order of Odd Fellows was founded in Baltimore, Maryland on
April 26, 1819, when Thomas Wildley from Engald instituted Washington Lodge No. 1.
It received its charter from Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows in England. At that time,
the city was suffering both a yellow fever epidemic and mass unemployment, so they
dedicated the organization to "Visit the sick, relieve the distess, bury the dead, and educate the orphans."
Medal is two inches diameter. Price: $64.99. Photo Source: ebay.com
116) There are 100 Marvel Value Stamps
issued 1974-1976 in Marvel Comic Books
Stamp #69 Marvel Girl from
X-Men #39, Cover
Artist: George Tuska
Comic Issues containing this stamp:
Avengers #125, July 1974, p. 19
Frankenstein #10, May 1974, p. 32
Tomb of Dracula #27, December 1974, p. 19
117) There are 200 cards in Wings: Friend or Foe (Topps 1952)
Card #69 is C-119 Packet: U.S. Air Force Transport
118) There are 160 cards in World on Wheels (Topps 1953)
Card #69 is 1904 Knox Surrey
119) There are 135 cards in Look 'n See (Topps 1952)
Card #69 is Guglielmo Marconi (Italian Inventor)
120) There are 156 cards in Scoop (Topps 1954)
Card #69 is Piccard Descends 2 Miles Under Sea (September 30, 1953)
121) There are 80 cards in Flags of the World (Topps 1956)
Card #69 is Chile
122) There are 80 cards in Davy Crockett (Topps 1956, orange back)
Card #69 is Help!
123) Postage Stamps from Canada, United States & Monaco with 69 denomination—

Canada 1369, 69¢
Hickory Tree
(issued 2-25-1994)
United States C142, 69¢
Okefenckee Swamp, Georgia
(issued 6-1-2007)
Monaco 2129, 0.69 Euro
Honoré Balzac
(issued 5-25-1999)
Note: Postage stamps with 69 denomination were found on the web. Consulted 2018 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Volumes 2B & 4B (Los Altos Library) for Scott Catalogue #s. The stamps shown above were all downloaded from the web using Google Images and eBay searches. Click on catalogue #s for image source where the stamp appears. The dates of issue were found in Scott Catalogues as well as the Scott Catalogue #s. Click on stamp to enlarge.

69 in Books & Quotes
124) Of me myself— the jocund heart
    yet beating in my breast,
The body wreck'd, old, poor
    and paralyzed— the strange inertia
falling pall-like round me,
The burning fires down in my sluggish
    blood not yet extinct,
The undiminish'd faith—
the groups of loving friends..
— Walt Whitman (1819-1892), "A Carol Closing Sixty-Nine" (1888)
Cited in 100 Years (Wisdom from Famous Writers on Every Year of Your Life),
Joshua Prager (selections) & Milton Glaser (visualizations),
W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 2016
125) Bollingen Series LXIX is Chronique
By Saint-John Perse (1887-1975); Translated by Robert Fitzgerald
Princeton University Press, NJ, 1961
126) Volume 69 of Time Magazine (1st issue: March 3, 1923)
runs from January 6, 1947, LXIX, No. 1
(Cover: James F. Byrnes)
to June 30, 1947, LXIX, No. 26
(Cover: Mahatma Gandhi)
Deborah Kerr (2-10-1947, LXIX:6);
Artur Rodzinski (2-17-1947, LXIX:7);
Princess Elizabeth (3-31-1947, LXIX:13);
Mahatma Gandhi (6-30-1947, LXIX:26);
Photo Source: Princess Elizabeth (time.com)
127) Volume 69 of the Dictionary of Literary Biography
is titled "Contemporary German Fiction Writers,
First Series (Dictionary of Literary Biography)"
Edited by Wolfgang D. Elfe, Gale Research, Detroit, 1988
DLB 69 Coming to terms with the experience of fascism was a major concern of German authors
who experienced Nazi rule and World War II as adults. It led them to a strong political awareness
and, in some cases, to actual involvement in political affairs. These writers often became conscience
of a society that was inclined to forget its recent past. This volume sheds light on these questions:
to what extent did the year 1945 constitute a new beginning in German literature & to what degree
were pre-1945 literary traditions continued? It also discusses the different directions taken in the
development of East and West German literature. 43 entries include: Alfred Andersch, Heinrich Boll,
Paul Celan, Gunter Eich, Wolfgang Hildersheimer, Walter Jens, Wolfdietrich Schnurre, Anna Seghers,
Bodo Uhse, Peter Weiss.
128) Summer of '69 (2019) by Elin Hilderbrand (b. 7-17-1969)
Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of 20th century. It's 1969, and for Levin family,
times are a-changing. Every year children have looked forward to spending summer at their
grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. Blair, oldest sister, is marooned in
Boston, pregnant with twins & unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in thrilling
vortex of civil rights protests & determined to be independent, takes summer job on Martha's
Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. And 13-year-old
Jessie feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and
her worried mother, while each of them hides a troubling secret. As the summer heats up,
Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience
their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country. In her first historical novel, rich with the
details of an era that shaped both a nation and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again
earns her title as queen of the summer novel. Photo Source: hachettebookgroup.com/
129) 69 (1987) is a roman à clef novel by Ryu Murakami. It takes place in 1969, and tells the story
of some high school students coming of age in an obscure Japanese city who try to mimic the
counter-culture movements taking place in Tokyo and other parts of the world. 32-year-old
narrator Kensuke Yazaki takes a nostalgic look back at year 1969, when he was an ambitious
and enthusiastic seventeen-year-old, living in Sasebo, in western Kyushu, where he gets into
antics with his equally ambitious & enthusiastic best friends, Iwase & Adama. Their priorities
are girls, cinema, music, literature, pop culture, organising a school festival to be called "The
Morning Erection Festival", besting teachers and enemies, and finding a way to change the
world somehow. The 2004 film 69 is based on Murakami's novel. Photo Source: wikipedia.org
130) 69 is a 2004 film adaptation of Ryu Murakami's 1987 novel 69.
Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan, 1969: Inspired by the iconoclastic examples of Dylan, Kerouac,
Godard and Che, a band of mildly disaffected teenagers led by the smilingly charismatic
Ken (Tsumabuki Satoshi) decide to shake up "the establishment"— their repressive school
and the nearby US military installation. A series of anarchic pranks meets with varying
levels of success, until Ken and company focus their energies on mounting a multimedia
"happening" to combine music, film and theater. Complications ensue. Film was directed
by Lee Sang-il of Korea. Screenplay: Kankuro Kudo; Music: Masakazu Sakuma & Naoki
Tachikawa; Cinematography: Kozo Shibasaki. Box Office: $4,551,540. Photo: wikipedia.org
131) Interstate 69 (2010) by Matt Dellinger
Book's subtitle: "The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway"
The 1,400-mile extension of I-69 south from Indianapolis, if completed, will connect Canada
to Mexico through Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana,
& Texas. This "NAFTA Highway" has been in development for two decades, & while segments
are under construction today, others may never be built. Eagerly anticipated by many as an
economic Godsend, I-69 has also been opposed by environmentalists, farmers, ranchers,
anarchists, & others who question both the wisdom of building more highways & merits of
globalization. Amazon.com's 19 reviewers, 83% rated it 5-stars. Photo: sccl.bibliocommons.com
132) The Fighting 69th (2007) by Sean Michael Flynn
Subtitle: "One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey From Ground Zero to Baghdad"
Lively account of an inept National Guard battalion that pulled itself together, went to Iraq
and performed heroically. Eulogized in a 1940 film with James Cagney, "The Fighting 69th"
fought with distinction from the Civil War to World War II, but by the 1990s, reclassified as
National Guard, it had declined significantly. Former company commander Flynn draws a
vivid picture of his Manhattan-based unit's disgraceful state as 21st century began. Despite
this apathy, on 9/11 hundreds rushed to the armory without being summoned, sacrificing
jobs and personal convenience to help out. Photo Source: amazon.com

69 in the Bible
133) 69 is cited once in the Bible:
• And all the days of Methuselah were
nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
— Genesis 5:27
Source: The Complete Concordance to the Bible: New King James Version,
Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1983, p. 889.
134) In 69th Psalm David prays in affliction & praises God:
1. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am
    come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried:
    mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
16. Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn
      unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
29. But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation,
      O God, set me up on high.
30. I will praise the name of God with a song,
      and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
32. The humble shall see this, and be glad:
      and your heart shall live that seek God.
34. Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas,
      and every thing that moveth therein.
      — Psalms 69 (1023 BC)
135) 69th Book of Enoch: Names and Functions of the (fallen Angels and) Satans: the secret Oath:
1. And after this judgment they shall terrify and make them to tremble
because they have shown this to those who dwell on the earth.
11. For men were created exactly like the angels, to the intent that they
should continue pure & righteous, and death, which destroys everything
could not have taken hold of them, but through this their knowledge
they are perishing, and through this power it is consuming me.
16 And these are the secrets of this oath... And they are strong
through his oath: And the heaven was suspended before
the world was created, And for ever.
17. And through it the earth was founded upon the water,
And from the secret recesses of the mountains come beautiful
waters, From the creation of the world and unto eternity.
20. And through that oath the sun and moon complete their course,
And deviate not from their ordinance from eternity to eternity.
21. And through that oath the stars complete their course,
And He calls them by their names,
And they answer Him from eternity to eternity.
24. And all these believe and give thanks before the Lord of Spirits,
and glorify (Him) with all their power, and their food is in every
act of thanksgiving: they thank and glorify and extol the name
of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.
 — Book of Enoch, LXIX (circa 105 B.C.-64 B.C.)
    translated by R. H. Charles, S.P.C.K., London, 1917, pp. 89-92
136) 69th Saying of Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said: Blessed are they who have been persecuted in their heart;
these are they who have known the Father in truth. Blessed are they
that hunger, that they may fill the belly him who desires.
Gospel of Thomas 69 (114 sayings of Jesus, circa 150 A.D.)
(translated by Thomas O. Lambdin, 1988)
137) In Chapter 69 of The Aquarian Gospel, Jesus and the ruler of the synagogue
of Nazareth. Jesus teaches not in public, and the people are amazed.
  1. Next day as Peter walked about in Nazareth, he met the ruler of the
      synagogue who asked, Who is this Jesus lately come to Nazareth?
  2. And Peter said, This Jesus is the Christ of whom our prophets wrote;
      he is the king of Israel. His mother, Mary, lives on Marmion Way.
  5. Then in the evening time the ruler came up Marmion Way,
      and in the home of Mary found he Jesus and his mother all alone.
  6. And when the ruler asked for proof of his messiahship,
      and why he went not to the synagogue when he was bidden, Jesus said,
      not an earthly throne; its king is not a man.
  7. I am not slave to any man; I am not called unto this ministry by priest. It is not
      mine to answer when men call. I come the Christ of God; I answer unto God alone.
  8. Who gave you right to ask for proof of my messiahship? My proof lies in my words
      and works, and so if you will follow me you will not lack for proof.
10. The people of the town came out in throngs to see the Christ,
      and hear him speak; but Jesus said,
11. A prophet has no honour in his native town, among his kin.
12. I will not speak in Nazareth until the words I speak,
      and works I do in other towns have won the faith of men,
13. Until men know that God has christed me to manifest eternal love.
14. Good will to you, my kin; I bless you with a boundless love,
      and I bespeak for you abundant joy and happiness.
15. He said no more, and all the people marvelled much
      because he would not speak in Nazareth.
 — The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, Chapter 69
    Transcribed from the Akashic Records by Levi H. Dowling
    DeVorss & Co., Santa Monica, CA, 1908, Reset 1964, p. 111.

69 in Books on Philosophy and Religion
138) Hymn 69 in Book 1 of the Rig Veda is a song of praise to Agni, the God of Fire:
1. BRIGHT, splendid, like Dawn's lover, he hath filled the two joined worlds
    as with the light of heaven. When born, with might thou hast encompassed them:
    Father of Gods, and yet their Son wast thou.
2. Agni, the Sage, the humble, who discerns like the cow's udder,
    the sweet taste of food, Like a bliss-giver to be drawn to men,
    sits gracious in the middle of the house.
3. Born in the dwelling like a lovely son, pleased, like a strong steed,
    he bears on the folk. What time the men and I, with heroes, call,
    may Agni then gain all through Godlike power.
4. None breaks these holy laws of thine when thou hast granted audience
    to these chieftains here. This is thy boast, thou smotest with thy peers,
    and joined with heroes dravest off disgrace.
5. Like the Dawn's lover, spreading light, well-known as hued like morn,
    may he remember me. They, bearing of themselves, unbar the doors:
    they all ascend to the fair place of heaven.
— Rig Veda Book 1, 69.1-5 (circa 1500 B.C.)
139)

Book of the Dead cover		 Chapter 69 in The Papyrus of Ani, Egyptian Book of the Dead
is "Chapter for being the successor of Osiris—
I am the Radiant One, brother of the Radiant Goddess, Osiris the brother
of Isis; my son and his mother Isis have saved me from my enemies who
would harm me... I am Osiris, first-born of the company of the gods,
eldest of the gods, heir of my gather Geb; I am Osiris, Lord of persons...
    I am Orion who treads his land, who precedes the stars of the sky which
are on the body of my mother Nut, who conceived me at her desire and bore me
at her will. I am Anubis on Day of the Centipede, I am the Bull who presides
over the field. I am Osiris, for whom his father & mother sealed an agreement
on that day of carrying out the great slaughter; Geb is my father and Nut is
my mother, I am Horus the Elder on the Day of Accession, I am Anubis of Sepa,
I am the Lord of All, I am Osiris.
O you Eldest One who have come in, say to the collector of writings and to the door-keeper of Osiris that
I have come, being a spirit, fully reckoned and divine; I have come that I myself may protect my body...
I uncover those knees of Osiris, I open the mouths of the gods because of them, I sit beside him, and
Thoth has gone forth happy with a thousand of bread (a thousand of beer) upon my father's altar.
 — Egyptian Book of the Dead: Book of Going Forth by Day
    Complete Papyrus of Ani, Chapter 69, (circa 1250 B.C.), pp. 107-108
    (translated by Raymond Faulkner), Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1994
    Image Source:: Book Cover (wisdomportal.com)
140)
Lao Tzu (604 BC-517 BC), Tao Te Ching, Verse 69:
The generals have a saying:
"Rather than make the first move
it is better to wait and see.
Rather than advance an inch
it is better to retreat a yard." This is called
going forward without advancing,
pushing back without using weapons.
There is no greater misfortune
than underestimating your enemy.
Underestimating your enemy
means thinking that he is evil.
Thus you destroy your three treasures
and become an enemy yourself.
When two great forces oppose each other,
the victory will go
to the one that knows how to yield.
 (translated by Stephen Mitchell,
Tao Te Ching (4th century BC)
Harper & Row, New York, 1988)
Lao Tzu (detail)
Silk Painting in
British Museum
141) Lao Tzu (604-517 BC), Hua Hu Ching, Verse 69:
A person's approach to sexuality is a sign of his level of evolution. Unevolved persons practice ordinary sexual intercourse.
Placing all emphasis upon the sexual organs, they neglect the body's other organs and systems. Whatever physical energy
is accumulated is summarily discharged, & the subtle energies are similarly dissipated and disordered. It is a great backward
leap. For those who aspire to the higher realms of living, there is angelic dual cultivation. Because every portion of the body,
mind, and spirit yearns for the integration of yin & yang, angelic intercourse is led by the spirit rather than the sexual organs.
Where ordinary intercourse is effortful, angelic cultivation is calm, relaxed, quiet, and natural. Where ordinary intercourse unites
sex organs with sex organs, angelic cultivation unites spirit with spirit, mind with mind, & every cell of one body with every cell
of the other body. Culminating not in dissolution but in integration, it is an opportunity for a man & woman to mutually transform
and uplift each other into the realm of bliss and wholeness. The sacred ways of angelic intercourse are taught only by one who has
himself achieved total energy integration, and taught only to students who follow the Integral Way with profound devotion,
seeking to purify and pacify the entire world along with their own being. However, if your virtue is especially radiant, it can
be possible to open a pathway to the subtle realm and receive these celestial teachings directly from the immortals.
(translated by Brian Walker, Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu, Harper San Francisco 1992)
142) Verse 69 of Pythagoras's Golden Verses:
Take the Supreme Mind as thy guide
(who must ever direct and restrain thy course).
Pythagoras (580-500 B.C.), Golden Verses, Verse 69
(translated by A.E.A., Collectanea Hermetica, Vol. V, 1894)
reprinted in Percy Bullock, The Dream of Scipio, Aquarian Press,
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK, 1983, p. 56
143) Aphorism 69 of Symbols of Pythagoras:
Hominis vestigia, ferro ne configito.
Stick not iron into the footsteps of a man. — Dacier.
Do not attack the character of the dead.
Pythagoras (580-500 B.C.), Symbols of Pythagoras
(translated by Sapere Aude, Collectanea Hermetica, Vol. V, 1894)
reprinted in Percy Bullock, The Dream of Scipio, Aquarian Press,
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK, 1983, p. 89
144) Fragment 69 of Heraclitus (540 B.C.-480 B.C.):
Chapter V: In Religious Perspective
A man's character is his guardian divinity.
— Philip Wheelwright, Heraclitus,
Athenum, New York (1964), p. 68
Originally published by Princton University Press, 1959
Romania #1442, 10 Bani stamp honoring 2500th anniversary
of birth of Heraclitus of Ephesus (issued October 25, 1961)
Image Source: Heraclitus Romanian Stamp (stampsoftheworld.co.uk)
145) Section 69b-69c of Plato's Phaedo—
Socrates to Simmias on wisdom is the purification of the emotions:
The true moral ideal, whether self-control or integrity or courage, is really
a kind of purgation from all these emotions, and wisdom itself is a sort of
purification. Perhaps these people who direct the religious initiations are
not so far from the mark, and all the time there has been an allegorical
meaning beneath their doctrine that he who enters the next world
uninitiated and unenlightened shall lie in the mire, but he who
arrives there purified and enlightened shall dwell among the gods.
— Plato (428-348 BC), Phaedo 69b-69c (360 BC)
(trans. Hugh Tredennick), Edited by Edith Hamilton & Huntington Cairns,
Plato: The Collected Dialogues, Bollingen Series LXXI,
Princeton University Press, 1961, pp. 51-52
146) Section 69c of Plato's Timaeus— Body is the vehicle for the soul:
All these the creator first set in order, and out of them he constructed the universe,
which was a single animal comprehending in itself all other animals, mortal and
immortal. Now of the divine, he himself was the creator, but the creation of the
mortal he committed to his offspring. And they, imitating him, received from him
the immortal principle of the soul ; and around this they proceeded to fashion a
mortal body, and. made it to be the vehicle of the soul and constructed within
the body a soul of another nature which was mortal, subject to terrible and
irresistible affections— first of all, pleasure, the greatest incitement to evil;
then, pain, which deters from good.
— Plato (428-348 BC), Timaeus 69c (360 BC)
(trans. Benjamin Jowett), Edited by Edith Hamilton & Huntington Cairns,
Plato: The Collected Dialogues, Bollingen Series LXXI,
Princeton University Press, 1961, page 1193
147) 69th Verse of Buddha's Dhammapada: Canto V— The Fool
So long as an evil deed does not mature (bring disastrous results),
the fool thinks his deed to be sweet as honey. But, when his
evil deed matures, he falls into untold misery.
Dhammapada Verse 69 (240 B.C.)
(translated by Harischandra Kaviratna,
Dhammapada: Wisdom of the Buddha, 1980)
148) 69th Verse of Chapter 2 of Bhagavad Gita
(Krishna's lecture to Arjuna on karma yoga):
In the dark night of all beings awakes to Light the tranquil man.
But what is day to other beings is night for the sage who sees. (2:69)
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 69
(Translated by Juan Mascaro, Penguin Books, 1962, p. 54)
149) 69th Verse of Chapter 18 of Bhagavad Gita
(Krishna's lecture to Arjuna on renunciation & surrender):
For there can be no man among men who does greater work for me,
nor can there be a man on earth who is dearer to me than he is. (18:69)
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 69
(Translated by Juan Mascaro, Penguin Books, 1962, p. 121)
150) 69th Verse in Chapter 18 of Ashtavakra Gita
(Sage Ashtavakra's dialogue with King Janaka):
What remains to be done by one who is Pure Consciousness?
He has renounced the pluralistic world, which begins with
Mahat (total intellect and is manifested merely by names.
Ashtavakra Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 69 (circa 400 B.C.)
Translated by Swami Chinmayananda (1972), pp. 336-337
Chinmayananda's Commentary: The Liberated-in-life is one who
has transcened his ego and has awakened to the Infinitude of the
Self. He has nothing to be done— there is nothing for him to achieve.
151) 69th Aphroism Patanjali's Yoga Sutra:
The seen has the qualities of light, activity, and inertia, consists of the
elements and senses, and has the purposes of experience an liberation.
Patanjali (circa 200 B.C.), Yoga Sutra II.18: Aphroism 69 (circa 200 B.C.)
translated by Rama Prasada, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi, 1995, p. 168
152) 69th Aphroism in Book 7
of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations:
To live each day as though one's last,
never flustered, never apathetic,
never attitudinizing—
here is the perfection of character.
— Marcus Aurelius (121-180), Meditations
7:69: Aphroism 69 (circa 161-180)
translated by Maxwell Staniforth, Penguin Books,
Baltimore, MD, 1964, p. 118
Image Source: Marcus Aurelius (rationalwalk.com)
153) Text 69 of On Prayer: 153 Texts
of Evagrios the Solitary (345-399 AD)
When the jealous demon fails to stir up our memory during prayer,
he disturbs the soul-body temperament, so as to form some strange
fantasy in the intellect. Since your intellect is usually preoccupied
with thoughts it is easily diverted: instead of pursuing immaterial
and formless knowledge, it is deceived, mistaking smoke for light.
The Philokalia (4th-15th century AD),
translated by F.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, & Kallistos Ware,
Faber & Faber, London, 1979, p. 63)
154) Text 69 of On Those who Think that They are Made Righteous by Works: 226 Texts
of Saint Mark the Ascetic (early 5th century AD)
When God allows you to be praised, do not become boastful on
account of this divine providence, lest you then fall into dishonour.
 The Philokalia (4th-15th century AD),
translated by F.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, & Kallistos Ware,
Faber & Faber, London, 1979, p. 131)
155) Text 69 of On Watchfulness and Holiness
of Saint Hesychios the Priest (circa 7th century AD)
One ignorant of the spiritual path is not on his guard against his
impassioned thoughts, but devotes himself entirely to the flesh.
He is either a glutton, or dissipated, or full of resentment, anger
and rancour. As a result, he darkens his intellect, or he practices
excessive asceticism and so confuses his mind.
The Philokalia (4th-15th century AD),
translated by F.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, & Kallistos Ware,
Faber & Faber, London, 1979, p. 174)
156) Text 69 of On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination: 100 Texts
of Saint Diadochos of Photiki (400-486 AD)
At the start of the spiritual way, the soul usually has the conscious experience of being illumined with its own
light through the action of grace. But, as it advances further in its struggle to attain theology, grace works its
mysteries within the soul for the most part without its knowledge. Grace acts in these two ways so that it may
first set us rejoicing on the path of contemplation, calling us from ignorance to spiritual knowledge, and so that
in the midst of our struggle it may then keep this knowledge free from arrogance. On the one hand, we need to be
somewhat saddened by feeling ourselves abandoned, so that we become more humble and submit to the glory of
the Lord; on the other hand, we need to be gladdened at the right time through being lifted up by hope. For just
as great sadness brings the soul to despair and loss of faith, so great joy incites it to presumption (I am speaking
of those who are still beginners). Midway between illumination and abandonment lies the experience of trial,
and midway between sadness and joy lies hope. This is why the Psalmist says: 'I waited patiently for the Lord;
and He heard me' (Psalms 40:1); and again: 'According to the multitude of the sufferings in my heart. Thy
blessings have gladdened my soul' (Psalms 94:19). .
The Philokalia (4th-15th century AD),
translated by F.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, & Kallistos Ware,
Faber & Faber, London, 1979, p. 276) Full Text; Google Text
157) Text 69 of For the Encouragement of the Monks in India who had Written to Him: 100 Texts
of Saint John of Karpathos (circa 680 AD)
Pharaoh entreated, saying: 'May God take away from me this death' (Exodus 10:17), and he was heard.
Similarly, when the demons asked the Lord not to cast them into the abyss, their request was granted
(cf Luke 8:31). How much more, then, will a Christian be heard when he prays to be delivered from
spiritual death? — The Philokalia (4th-15th century AD),
translated by F.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, & Kallistos Ware,
Faber & Faber, London, 1979, pp. 314-315)
158) Text 69 of On the Character of Men: 170 Texts
of Saint Anthony of Egypt (251-356 AD)
We should not be angry with those who sin, even if what they
do is criminal and deserves punishment. On the contrary, for
the sake of justice we ought to correct and, if need be, punish
them ourselves or get others to do so. But we should not become
angry or excited; for anger acts only in accordance with passion,
and not in accordance with good judgment and justice. Moreover,
we should not approve those who show more mercy than is proper.
The wicked must be punished for the sake of what is good and just,
but not as a result of the personal passion of anger.
The Philokalia (4th-15th century AD),
translated by F.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, & Kallistos Ware,
Faber & Faber, London, 1979, p. 340)
159) 69th Verse of Chapter 2 in Lankavatara Sutra:
Mahamati the Bodhisatva-Mahasattva's Questions to the Buddha:
How are horses, elephants, deer caught? Pray tlle me how.
What is a proposition, a teaching established by the
conjunctionof reason and illustration?
 69th Verse of Chapter 3 in Lankavatara Sutra:
Nirvana is severally conceived by the philosophers; but theirs
is no more than imaginaion, it is not the way of emancipation.
The Lankavatara Sutra (before 443 AD)
(translated from the Sanskrit by D. T. Suzuki, 1932, pp. 28, 160)
160) Chapter 69 of Mohammed's Holy Koran is titled "The Inevitable"
[69.1] The sure calamity!
[69.2] What is the sure calamity! And what would make you realize what the sure calamity is!
[69.6] And as to Ad, they were destroyed by a roaring, violent blast.
[69.11] Surely We bore you up in the ship when the water rose high,
[69.13] And when the trumpet is blown with a single blast,
[69.14] And the earth and the mountains are borne away and crushed with a single crushing
[69.15] On that day shall the great event come to pass,
[69.16] And the heaven shall cleave asunder, so that on that day it shall be frail,
[69.21] So he shall be in a life of pleasure,
[69.22] In a lofty garden,
[69.23] The fruits of which are near at hand:
[69.43] It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
[69.52] herefore-glorify the name of your Lord, the Great.
Mohammed, Holy Koran Chapter 69 (7th century AD)
(translated by M. H. Shakir, Koran, 1983)
161) 69th Verse of Chapter 7 in Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara:
Poison, when it reaches the bloodstream, pervades the body,
and likewise aversion, having found an opening, pervades the mind (citta).
Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara: Entering the Path of Enlightenment
VII.69 (Perfection of Strength: Virya-paramita) (circa 700 AD)
(translated by Marion L. Matics, Macmillan, London, 1970, p. 192)
162) 69th Verse of Chapter 9 in Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara:
The Ego is not unconscious because of [native] unconsciousness,
like cloth and the like, but it is conscious because of union with
consciousness. The result is the destruction of unconsciousness.
Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara: Entering the Path of Enlightenment
IX.69 (Perfection of Wisdom: Prajña-paramita) (circa 700 AD)
(translated by Marion L. Matics, Macmillan, London, 1970, p. 217)
163)
Koan 69 of Joshu aka Chao-Chou (778-897):
A monk asked, "If the old mirror is not polished, will it still shine?"
Joshu said, "The cause lies in a former life, the effect in this life."
 Note: The question suggests that even though the mind may be deluded
["no polished"], essentially it is enlightened. Joshu does not reject this
view, but he reminds us of the traditional Buddhist doctrine which views
life as a process of moral causality. Thus Joshu is saying that "Whether
the mirror is shining should not concern you. Polish it."
Chao-Chou (778-897), Radical Zen: The Sayings of Joshu
translated with commentary by Yoel Hoffman,
Autumn Press, Brookline, Massachusetts, 1978, p. 36
Joshu
164) Case 69 of Hekiganroku: Nansen Draws a Circle
Main Subject: Nansen, Kisu, and Mayoku were on their way
together to pay their respects to Chu Kokushi. When they were
halfway there, Nansen drew a circle on the ground and said,
"If you can say a word, I will go with you." Kisu sat down
in the middle of the circle. Mayoku, seeing this, made a bow
just as awoman does. Nansen said, "Then I will not go."
Kisu said, "What an attitude of mind!"
Setcho's Verse:
Yuki's arrow shot the monkey;
How straight it flew,
Circling the tree.

Out of thousands, even ten of thousands,
How many have hit the mark?
Come, let us go home together.

No need to pay respects to Sokei!
But again— why not?
Isn't it a smooth road to Sokei?
Setcho (980-1052), Hekiganroku, 68 (Blue Cliff Records)
(translated by Katsuki Sekida, Two Zen Classics, 1977, p. 330)
165)
Ch'eng Hao (1032-1085), Selected Sayings, Section 69:
"The Mean is the great foundation of the universe.
It is the correct principle of all under heaven which
is central and straight. Any deviation from it is wrong.
Only when one cultivaes it with seriousness without
fail can one fully preserve it."
(Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, 1963, p. 541)

Ch'eng Hao
166) Ch'eng I (1033-1107), Selected Sayings, Section 69:
Substance and function come from the same source,
and there is no gap between the manifest and the hidden.
(Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, 1963, p. 570)
167) Section 69 of Chu Hsi's Chin-ssu lu:
Those who are broad but not vigorously enduring
are not firmly established. Those who are vigorously
enduring but not broad are provincial and narrow.
 — Chu Hsi (1130-1200),
Reflections on Things at Hand (Chin-ssu lu)
Chapter II: The Essentials of Learning
translated by Wing-Tsit Chan
Columbia University Press, NY, 1967, p. 68
168)
Koan 69 of Master Kido's Every End Exposed
Only This
Master Beirei said, "Nothing goes beyond it." At that,
a monk asked "I wonder what it is that cannot be surpassed.".
Beirei said, "only this." The monk later asked
Master Chokei, "why did Beirei say "Nothing goes beyond it?"
Chokei said, "well, then, what would you call it?'"
Master Kido
Chokei says, "One who hears the sound
[but does not understand the meaning]."
Master Hakuin
The butterflies come and are gone, flying over the wall.
Making me wonder if spring is next door. Plain Saying
Each ws enough— why can't he see through?
Kido Chigu
(1185-1269)
aka Xutang Zhiyu
NOTE: In his saying Beirei refers to satori (enlightenment).
The monk does not understand, and Beirei makes his meaning clear
in "Only this" (i.e., "here, now"). Still at a loss, the monk asks Chokei;
Chokei suggests that it is not the kind of thing that can be answered
in words. Kido's comment and the plain saying ironically imply
the monk's failure to understand Beirei, whereas Hakuin's substitute
phrase gives the answer to "Only this."
Master Kido (1189-1269), Koan 69,
Every End Exposed (100 Koans
of Master Kido with the Answers of Hakuin-Zen)
Translated with Commentary by Yoel Hoffman,
Autumn Press, Brookline, MA, 1977, p. 92
Image Source: Kido (terebess.hu)
169)
Letter 69 (De anima: On the Soul) of Letters of Marsilio Ficino:
Marsilio Ficino to a dear friend & admirable man, Bernardo Rucellai greetings.
Above men, nothing is dearer to me than to speak with God.
Among men nothing is dearer to me than to speak with you.
God, our guide in life and source of our friendship, always hears what I say to you.
You will now hear what I often say to God. I make use of this prayer to God each day.
Rucellai, so that he may enlighten my mind and strengthen my will. Use it yourself too,
sometimes, unless you happen to have a better one, for there is no one whom I would
rather God favored than you. On occasion I have heard our Lorenzo de' Medici, moved
by divine frenzy sing similar prayers to the lyre. But now hear the prayer itself—
O boundless light, observing yourself, seeing all things in yourself!
O infinite sight, shining from yourself, illuminating all!
O spiritual eye, whom alone, and by whom alone, spiritual eyes see!
O immortal life of those that see!
O all goodness of the living!
    You fulfill the whole desire of your lovers. You alone, God, kindle within
us the desire for everything which is good. You alone are everything good. I beseech You,
most pure light. I beseech You, through Yourself clear the clouded vision of the mind
that I may see You, for You fire my frozen heart, whereby I thirst for You. Enlarge
my narrow vision that I may see You, as You raise my downcast eye so that I look up.
    May we dwell in Your very being forever. In You may we shine and burn,
may we blaze and be made joyful. May we rejoice in bliss without end, beyond
the measure of our desires. May we, without distraction, infinitely love Your
infinite beauty. May we without surfeit eternally enjoy Your infinite good.
— Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499), Letter to Bernardo Rucellai
Meditations on the Soul: Selected Letters of Marsilio Ficino,
Inner Traditions, Rochester, VT, 1996, pp. 147-150
Marsilio Ficino
(1433-1499)
170)
Section 69 of Wang Yang Ming's Instructions for Practical Living:
I asked, "Civilization declines further and further.
How can we see the condition of great antiquity again?"
The Teacher said, "A single day is no different from a
period of 129,600 years. When one gets up early in the
morning and sits down, he has not yet come into contact
with the influence of the material world. His mind is
pure and clear, and in this condition makes him feel as
though he is living at the time of Fu-shi of great antiquity."
— Wang Yang Ming (1472-1529),
Instructions for Practical Living or Ch'uan-hsi lu (1518), I.69
translated by Wing-tsit Chan,
Columbia University Press, NY, 1963, p. 48
Wang Yang Ming
Harvard Fogg Museum
171) 69th Section of Swedenborg's Worlds in Space (1758):
They said that they kept no festivals, but every morning
at sunrise and ever evening at sunset they hold in their
tents a service of holy worship of the One and Only Lord.
They also sing their own kind of hymns.
— Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), The Worlds in Space, 69
(translated from Latin by John Chadwick, Swedenborg Society, London, 1997, p. 47)
172)
Section 69 of Sage Ninomiya's Evening Talks:
"The Sage's Swan Song"—
The sage was criticaaly ill. To his disciples who were in attendance near his bed,
he spoke: "Look at my feet and hands. Read my letters and diaries. You will see
how I lived with fear and trembling as if I were stepping on a block of thin ice,
or were standing on the brink of a bottomless abyss, lest I fail to fulfil the duty
Heaven has assigned me." The sage spoke again: "It is said that when a bird is about
to die its song is sad and when a man is about to die his words are good. Hear well
then what I speak now. Be prudent. Do not desire to achieve success quickly. If you do,
you will meet with failure. Be cautious. Never become weary of your work and duty."
— Sontoku Ninomiya (1787-1856),
Sage Ninomiya's Evening Talks, Section 69
translated by Isoh Yamagata,
The Tokuno Kyokai, Tokyo, 1937, pp. 138-139,
Sontoku Ninomiya
(1787-1856)
173) Chapter 69 of Wei Wu Wei's Ask the Awakened (1963) is titled "No-Mind Speaking":
Few of the awakened sages tell us anything of the nature of whole-mind,
beyond describing it as void— which is the objective aspect of it as seen by
self-identified humanity. But there is one Ch'an Master Tsung Kao (1089-1163)
who gives us precious insights. An objective description of pure Mind or our
'original nature', sometimes called 'self-mind', and here 'no-mind' (wu hsin),
makes nonsense, for mind cannot see itself or be seen, but only experienced.
"If we want to grasp it", he says, "it runs away from us, but if we cast it away,
it continues to be there all the time." In itself that clearly means that we cannot
make an object of it, since it is ourself, and we cannot make an object of this
which we are. "We, the originally vast, serene, and marvellous mind are all
pure and illuminatingly all-inclusive. Nothing can hinder us: we are as free
as the firmament." "We are like the sun shining in the blue sky— clear and
bright, unmovable & immutable, neither increasing or decreasing. In all dailyactivities we illumine
all places and shine out from all things." "This mind that we are is vast & expansive like space itself...
The wonder of the effortless mind naturally & spontaneously reacts to all conditions without any
obstacle." "We do not adhere to anything, but are natural and spontaneous at all times and in all
circumstances... We who observe our body and mind see them as magic shadows or as a dream.
Nor do we abide in this magic or dreamlike state... When we reach this point then we can
be considered as having arrived at the true state of No-mind." I offer no other comment.
Commentary would spoil it. It is to be read as if spoken by ourself. It is to be respoken
by ourself. It is to be realised that it is in very truth ourself speaking.
— Wei Wu Wei (1895-1986), Ask the Awakened (1963), pp. 163-165 (Archive)
174) Chapter 69 of Wei Wu Wei's Open Secret (1965)
is titled "Enlightenment as Disappearance of Nescience":
    The concept of 'enlightenment' applied to an individual is obviously great
nonsense, for the term denotes a state with which identity is incompatible.
No 'I' or 'me' could ever be 'enlightened'.
    As has been pointed out, an apparent identity may 'awaken'
to that condition— which is to say that it awakens from the dream
of individual autonomy to the normal state which is indicated by the term,
'enlightenment', or 'liberation'— from the bondage of illusory identity.
    The term itself, however, is ill-chosen, since it implies someone to be
'enlightened', but since phenomenal life is based on the notion of identity,
language inevitably carries that implication.
    The idea of 'enlightenment' implies that the absence of that is
the normal condition, whereas the contrary is the fact. That absence is the
current condition of phenomena precisely because such eclipse of noumenality
is what phenomenality is, so that the dis-appearance of that eclipse is at the same
time the disappearance of phenomenality and the revelation of the noumenal norm.
    It is from the illusion of autonomy that a pseudo-identity awakens,
and it is the condition that then obtains, a state of universality, which has been
given the name 'enlightenment', for an apparent identity has become aware of
its universality, and has returned to full consciousness of the totaliy that it is.
— Wei Wu Wei (1895-1986), Open Secret (1963), p. 146
(Archive, "How Open Secret led me to Wei Wu Wei")
175)

        Paul Brunton
          (1898-1981)

Paul Brunton, Notebooks
Volume XVI, Paras #69
from various chapters
Volume 16:
Enlightened Mind,
Divine Mind
Larson Publications
Burdett, NY, 1988,
Part 1:
pp. 12, 40, 86, 159, 198;
Part 2: pp. 11, 47, 66
Part 3: p. 12, 22, 33
Part 4: pp. 11, 30
Poem: "What a Soap
Box Taught Me
About Sage & Sin"
before my first
meeting with PB
in Montreux
(8-30-1972)
Visit with PB
at his home,
Corseaux sur Vevey
in September 1979 		Para #69 from Volume 16, Part 1
of Paul Brunton's Enlightened Mind, Divine Mind—
Notebooks: "World-Mind in Individual Mind—
    Although God is inaccessible to man, man is not inaccessible to God. (1.69)
    The calmness which he carries inside himself, and which is apparent in all his bearing,
has not arisen out of nothing. It has come to him out of long struggle and after varied suffering. (2.69)
    Jesus & Buddha inspired their immediate disciples with something of their own spiritual vitality. (3.69)
    Those who penetrate into the holy of holies bless the world when they bring forth the treasures
they find therein. What they achieve and accomplish mentally in the period of meditation, they will
later express automatically in action during the days that follow. Theirs is the balanced life which is
true sanity, so lacking in modern existence. (4.69)
    Let not the guru get in the way of the student when the latter is ready to try his wings,
make the first flight of a grown-up, and begin to be an individual. (5.69)
Para #69 from Volume 16, Part 2 of Paul Brunton's Notebooks: "World-Idea"—
    All the activity of this entire universe is God's activity. Everything is being carried on
according to the pattern and the rhythm set by the divine World-Idea. (1.69)
    The notion that anything outside of God can exist or have meaning by itself is a false one.
The universe is what it is only because it depends on an equilibrium of opposing forces or
of pairs of things united in opposition. (3.69)
    Man is Mind individualized. (4.69)
Para #69 from Volume 16, Part 3 of Paul Brunton's Notebooks: "World-Mind"—
    The World-Mind may be worshipped by religious devotees
or meditated upon by others as present in their own souls. (1.69)
    The substance of matter has shifted from the visible world to an invisible one but precise,
if difficult, mathematical formulas tell us that it is there, while exploding atomic bombs
demonstrate its power. At this point matter disappears; its substance becomes its source.
All things and all energies come from this source. It is the ONE, unique. It is life for us
all and death for us all. (2.69)
    If it be true that absolute divine Mind knows nothing of the universe, nothing of mortal
man, then it is also true that the World-Mind, which is its other aspect, does know them. (3.69)
Para #69 from Volume 16, Part 4 of Paul Brunton's Notebooks: "The Alone"—
    This is the only thing which is able to subsist entirely by itself, which is independent
of and beyond all relations with any other thing. This, considered absolutely, is God. (1.69)
    Once, when the Buddha was at Savatthi, a Brahmin came into the presence of the Exalted
One, exchanged greetings, and spake thus: "What think you, Bho Gotama— Everything is?"
"Everything is, that Brahmin, is the chief world superstition." "Then indeed, Bho Gotama,
nothing is?" "Nothing is, that Brahmin, is the second world superstition." "What think you,
Bho Gotama— Everything is a unity?" "Everything is a unity, that Brahmin, is the third
world superstition." "Then, indeed, Bho Gotama— everything is a plurality?"
"Everything is a plurality, that Brahmin, is the fourth world superstition." (2.69)
176) "The Yoga Break" is Lesson 69
of Subramuniyaswami's Merging with Siva (1999):
    The yoga break is a break in time in which one may penetrate the eternity of the moment.
It is practiced in this way. If you find yourself nervous, upset, confused, drained of energy,
lie down on the nearest flat, hard surface, not a bed or sofa, for they will not offer the proper
support to your spine. Stretch out, preferably on the floor, take a deep breath and command
your body & your mind to relax, to release, to let go of all thoughts & tensions of the moment.
Don't bother trying to make your mind blank, but simply visualize yourself floating, relaxed
on a cloud buoyed up in space, as it were, apart from all the problems & tensions of the Earth.
Your eyes are closed, hands are relaxed by your side, & as you inhale, gently lift the stomach
muscles so that the lower part of the lungs fill with air before the upper part of the chest does.
Visualize a powerful light flooding into your solar plexus as you breathe in, charging all the
batteries of the nervous system, filling your body and mind with energy and positive will.
As you exhale, feel this light energy diffusing into every part of your body, filtering down
through the legs, through the arms, out through your fingers, up through the top of your head.
As this light floods & fills your body while you breathe out, it expels ahead of it all the bothers & tensions of the day.
After a few minutes, your breathing will have gained a deep rhythm. You will feel the life force within you build, and
you will be regenerated through the lifting of the spiritual force within your own body. With the inrush of new energy
you will feel inspiration returning to your mind, for as the body relaxes, so does the mind relax. If you are especially
tense before you begin the yoga break, your muscles may relax quickly, and they will sometimes give a little jerk or
twitch as the nervous system disentangles itself. By the time five minutes have passed in the supine position, with
your mind solely occupied with the rhythm of your breath and the visualization of the physical body floating on a
cloud-filling itself with light as it inhales, distributing the light throughout the body as it exhales— you may feel the
inrush of energy flooding through you, as if a hose had somewhere been opened. The yoga break gives perspective
in the middle of the busy day, when your mind tends to become tensely narrowed by details.
— Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)
Merging with Siva: Hinduism's Contemporary Metaphysics
Himalayan Academy, Kapaa, Hawaii, 1999, pp. 142-144.
177) Koan 69 of Zen Master Seung Sahn—
Jesus Christ:
However well of Jesus Christ
you talk and sermons preach,
unless he lives within yourself,
he is beyond your reach.
  1. Who is Jesus Christ?
  2. How does he live within you?
  3. How do you reach him?
Commentary:
The Cross sets you free. If you attain
the Cross, you sit together with God.
— Seung Sahn (1927-2004),
The Whole World Is A Single Flower
365 Kong-ans for Everyday Life, Tuttle, Boston, 1992, p. 55

69 in Poetry & Literature
178) Verse 69 of Rubáiyát, of Omar Khayyam (1048-1122):
But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays
Upon this Chequer-board of Nights and Days;
Hither and thither moves, and checks, and slays,
And one by one back in the Closet lays.
 (translated by Edward Fitzgerald, London, 1st Ed. 1859, 2nd Ed. 1868)
179) Verse 69 of Rumi's Daylight
As far as you can, be a slave, not a monarch.
Let yourself be struck. Be the ball and not the bat.
— Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273),
Mathnawi, I. 1868, Rumi Daylight,
(Translated Camille & Kabir Helmminski, 1999, p. 50)
Rumi
(1207-1273)
180) Verse 69 of The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master:
is "The Millstone's Talents"
To the heart's deepest sensibilities
Only the God who created every god
Dares to sing.
In the Tavern
Where the Friend performs
I am amazed for
There are often vacant seats at night
And the old chairs miss their free dusting
By big, warm rear ends.
The husk on the grain
Needs the Millstone's talents
Before the Royal Eye's intelligence
can cure Life,
And one can see,
See, see that God is everywhere
And whirling.


Hafiz
(1320-1389)
Hafiz (1320-1389), The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master, Verse 69
translated by Daniel Ladinsky, Penguin Press, NY, 1999, p. 109
181) Line 69 from the Pearl Poet's Pearl: "Those stunning, stately stones would fill"
Towarde a foreste I bere be face,
Where rych rokke3 wer to dyscreuen.
Þe ly3t of hem my3t no mon leuen,
Þe glemande glory bat of hem glent;
For wern never webbes that wyyes weven
Of half so dere adubbement 		Above the trees I turned to spy,
Rich rocks were ranged along that hill.
Those stunning, stately stones would fill
A lea with light most ambient!
No man-made finery or frill
Was woven with such wonderment!
Pearl (c. 1370-1400) Lines 67-72
(Ed. Malcolm Andrew & Ronald Waldron, 1987, p. 47)
(Another Pearl translation: by Bill Stanton, another by Vernon Eller)
182) Line 69 from the Pearl Poet's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:
Then gallants gather gaily, hand-gifts to make,
Called them out clearly, claimed them by hand,
Bickered long and busily about those gifts.
Ladies laughed aloud, though losers they were,
And he that won was not angered, as well you will know.
 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (c. 1375-1400) Lines 66-70
Translated by Marie Borroff, Norton, NY, 2010, p. 5 (Part I)
1999 Translationn by Paul Deane
183) Poem 69 of Kabir's 100 Poems of Kabir:
If God be within the mosque, then
    to whom does this world belong?
If Ram be within the image which you find
    upon your pilgrimage, then who is there
    to know what happens without?
Hari is in the East: Allah is in the West.
    Look within your heart, for there
    you will find both Karim and Ram;
All the men and women of the world
    are His living forms.
Kabir is the child of Allah and of Ram:
    He is my Guru, He is my Pir.
— Kabir (1398-1518), 100 Poems of Kabir, Poem LXIX
Translated by Rabindranath Tagore,
assisted by Evelyn Underhill,
Macmillan & Co., London, 1915, p. 72
India #237 Kabir
(issued Oct. 1, 1952)
184)
Youth's outer beauty not matched with inner mind
in 69th Sonnet (1609) of William Shakespeare:
Those parts of thee that the world's eye doth view
Want nothing that the thought of hearts can mend;
All tongues, the voice of souls, give thee that due,
Uttering bare truth, even so as foes commend.
Thy outward thus with outward praise is crown'd;
But those same tongues, that give thee so thine own,
In other accents do this praise confound
By seeing farther than the eye hath shown.
They look into the beauty of thy mind,
And that in guess they measure by thy deeds;
Then, churls, their thoughts, although their eyes were kind,
To thy fair flower add the rank smell of weeds:
    But why thy odour matcheth not thy show,
    The soil is this, that thou dost common grow.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616),
Sonnets LXIX, Commentary
Hungary CB3: William Shakespeare
1 forint airmail (issued 10-16-1948)
185)
"Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams"
in Line 69 of Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey":
And now, with gleams of half-extinguished thought,
With many recognitions dim and faint,
And somewhat of a sad perplexity,
The picture of the mind revives again:
While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years. And so I dare to hope,
Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first
I came among these hills; when like a roe
I bounded o'er the mountains, by the sides
Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams,
Wherever nature led: more like a man
 William Wordsworth (1770-1850),
"Tintern Abbey" (1798), Lines 58-70
William Wordsworth
by Benjamin R. Haydon
186) "The ice did split with a thunder-fit"
in Line 69 of Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner":
At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the fog it came;
As if it had been a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name.
It ate the food it ne'er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
The ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The helmsman steered us through!
 — Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834),
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798), Lines 63-70
The Complete Poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Penguin Books, London, 1997, p. 149
187) Chapter 69 of Melville's Moby-Dick (1851):
The peeled white body of the beheaded whale flashes like a marble sepulchre;
though changed in hue, it has not perceptibly lost anything in bulk. It is still
colossal. Slowly it floats more and more away, the water round it torn and splashed
by the insatiate sharks, and the air above vexed with rapacious flights of screaming
fowls, whose beaks are like so many insulting poniards in the whale... There's a most
doleful and most mocking funeral! The sea-vultures all in pious mourning, the air-sharks
all punctiliously in black or speckled. In life but few of them would have helped the whale,
I ween, if peradventure he had needed it; but upon the banquet of his funeral they most
piously do pounce. Oh, horrible vulturism of earth! from which not the mightiest whale
is free... Thus, while in the life the great whale's body may have been a real terror
to his foes, in his death his ghost becomes a powerless panic to a world.
Herman Melville (1819-1891), Moby-Dick, Chapter 69: The Funeral
188) 69th Poem of Emily Dickinson (1859):
Low at my problem bending,
Another problem comes—
Larger than mine— Serener—
Involving statelier sums.

I check my busy pencil,
My figures file away.
Wherefore, my baffled fingers
Thy perplexity?

— Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
(edited by Thomas H. Johnson, 1955), p. 36
189) 69th New Poem of Emily Dickinson:
Transport's mighty price
is no more than he is worth.
— Emily Dickinson (Letter 359, 1871)
New Poems of Emily Dickinson
(edited by William H. Shurr, University of North Carolin Press, 1993, p. 25)
190) "The fiddler in the tavern, the glee, the long-strung sailor-song"
in Line 69 of Walt Whitman's "Proud Music of the Storm" (1891):
The psalm in the country church or mid the clustering trees,
    the open air camp-meeting,
The fiddler in the tavern, the glee, the long-strung sailor-song,
The lowing cattle, bleating sheep, the crowing cock at dawn.
All songs of current lands come sounding round me,
The German airs of friendship, wine and love,
— Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
"Proud Music of the Storm" Lines 68-72
From Leaves of Grass ("Death-Bed" Edition),
Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1993, p. 338)
191)
69th Verse in Tagore's Gitanjali:
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and
day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
    It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust
of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks
into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
    It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle
of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.
    I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of
this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb
of ages dancing in my blood this moment.
 — Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
Gitanjali: Song Offerings (1912), Verse 69
Rabindranath Tagore
(1861-1941)
192)
69th Page of A.E.'s Song and Its Fountains (1932)
I know there must be error even in our highest approaches to the true
if the whole nature has not been purified and made transparent...
The deepest things in my life came to me in the form of poetry...
I remember as if yesterday that day in my youth when a mystical music
was born in me before ever thought came or the words that followed.
When the breath of twilight blows to flame the misty skies,
All its vaporous sapphire, violet glow and silver gleam,
With their magic flood me through the gateway of the eyes.
I am one with the twilight's dream.
— A.E. aka George William Russell (1867-1935)
Larson Publications, Burdett, New York, 1991, Ch. 8, p. 69
Photo Source: A.E. (wikipedia.org)
George W. Russell
(1867-1935)
193)
69th Page lines in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, (15 samples):
not, has been the expression, direct or through an agent male, of (69.1)
womanhid offended, (ah! ah!), has not levy of black mail from (69.2)
the times the fairies were in it, and fain for wilde erthe blothoms (69.3)
followed an impressive private reputation for whispered sins? (69.4)
Now by memory inspired, turn wheel again to the whole of (69.5)
a garthen of Odin and the lost paladays when all the eddams ended (69.10)
that shack under fair rental of one yearlyng sheep, (prime) value (69.17)
of sixpence, and one small yearlyng goat (cadet) value of eight- (69.18)
pence, to grow old and happy (hogg it and kidd him) for the re- (69.19)
minants of his years; and when everything was got up for the (69.20)
purpose he put an applegate on the place by no means as some (69.21)
pretext a bedstead in loo thereof to keep out donkeys (the pig- (69.22)
dirt hanging from the jags to this hour makes that clear) and just (69.23)
O, by the by, lets wee brag of praties, it ought to be always (69.30)
remembered in connection with what has gone before that there (69.31)
— James Joyce (1882-1941), Finnegans Wake, (1939), p. 69
James Joyce
(1882-1941)
194) Sonnet 69 in Edna St. Vincent Millay's Collected Sonnets (1941)
"On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven"
Sweet sounds, oh, beautiful music, do not cease!
Reject me not into the world again.
With you alone is excellence and peace,
Mankind made plausible, his purpose plain.
Enchanted in your air benign and shrewd,
With limbs a-sprawl and empty faces pale,
The spiteful and the stingy and the rude
Sleep like the scullions in the fairy-tale.
This moment is the best the world can give:
The tranquil blossom on the tortured stem.
Reject me not, sweet sounds; oh, let me live,
Till Doom espy my towers and scatter them,
A city spell-bound under the aging sun.
Music my rampart, and my only one.

— Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950), Sonnet 69
Collected Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay
HarperPerennial, NY, 2011, p. 629
Edna St. Vincent Millay
(1892-1950)
195) Poem 69 is "Three Autumns"
in Anna Akhmatova's Selected Poems (2006)
The smiles of summer are simply indistinct
And winter is too clear,
But I can unerringly pick out
Three autumns in each year...

First into the dance are the birches,
They put on their transparent attire
Hastily shaking off their fleeting tears
On to the neighbour next door...

By the river bank the silver willow
Touches the bright September waters.
Rising from the past, my shadow
Comes silently to meet me.

— Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966),
Poem 69 (1943), Selected Poems
translated by D.M. Thomas,
Penguin Classics, NY, 2006, pp. 73-74
Anna Akhmatova
(1889-1966)
196) e. e. cummings, Xaipe (1950)
Poem 69

now all the fingers of this tree(darling)have
hands, and all the hands have people; and
more each particular person is(my love)
alive than every world can understand

and now you are and i am now and we're
a mystery which will never happen again,
a miracle which has never happened before—
and shining this our now must come to then

our then shall be some darkness during which
fingers are without hands; and i have no
you: and all trees are(any more than each
leafless)its silent in forevering snow

—but never fear(my own, my beautiful
my blossoming)for also then's until

Xaipe
e. e. cummings (1894-1962),
Xaipe (1958), "Poem 69"
From E.E. Cummings,
Complete Poems 1904-1962
Edited by George J. Firmage,
Liveright, New York,1991, p. 667
197) e. e. cummings published 95 Poems in 1958 (Norton).
This was the last book of new poems published in Cummings's lifetime.
Poem 69

over us if(as what was dusk becomes

darkness)innumerably singular
strictly immeasurable nowhere flames
—its farthest silence nearer than each our

heartbeat— believe that love(and only love)

comprehends huger easily beyonds
than timelessly alive all glories we've
agreed with nothing deeper than our minds

to call the stars.     And(darling)never fear:

love,when such marvels vanish,will include
—there by arriving magically here—
an everywhere which you've and i've agreed
and we've(with one last more than kiss)to call

most the amazing miracle of all
 		95 Poems
e. e. cummings (1894-1962),
95 Poems (1958), "Poem 69"
From E.E. Cummings,
Complete Poems 1904-1962
Edited by George J. Firmage,
Liveright, New York,1991, p. 741
198) Four months after e. e. cummings' death in September 1962,
his widow Marion Morehouse collected the typescripts of
29 new poems, along with uncollected poems to make up
73 Poems published in 1963. (Liverwright).
Poem 69
!hope
faith!
!life
love!

bells cry bells
(the sea of the sky is
ablaze with their
voices)all

shallbe and was
are drowned by
prodigious a
now of magnificent

sound(which
makes
this
whenworld squirm

turns
houses to
people and streets
into faces and cities
 		to eyes)drift
bells glide
seethe
glow

(undering proudly
humbly overing)
all bright all
things swim climb minds

(down
slowly swoop wholly
up
leaping through merciful

sunlight)to
burst
in
a thunder of oneness

dream!
!joy
truth!
!soul


73 Poems
e. e. cummings (1894-1962),
73 Poems (1963), "Poem 69", pp. 85-86
Also from E.E. Cummings,
Complete Poems 1904-1962
Edited by George J. Firmage,
Liveright, New York, 1991, p. 841
199) Sonnet 69 in Pablo Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets (1960)
Maybe nothingness is to be without your presence,
without you moving, slicing the noon
like a blue flower, without you walking
later through the fog and the cobbles,

without the light you carry in your hand,
golden, which maybe others will not see,
which maybe no one knew was growing
like the red beginnings of a rose.

In short, without your presence: without your coming
suddenly, incitingly, to know my life,
gust of a rosebush, wheat of wind:

since then I am because you are,
since then you are, I am, we are,
and through love I will be, you will be, we'll be.
Pablo Neruda
(1904-1973)
Nobel Prize 1971
Love Sonnet LXIX, 100 Love Sonnets: Cien Sonetos de Amor
Editorial Losada, Buenos Aires, 1960 (trans. Stephen Tapscott, 1986, p. 147)
200)
Poem 69 of The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch:
is "Three Short Poems"—
HEANORUOPEATOMOS
Unroll this enrollment.
There, you see—
And now we have done.
And back to another day in the bars of Paris.

AN X-RAY OF UTAH
Valley! my whole head is a valley! valley! valley!

RELIGIOUSLY
There is rain in my heart and a boat in the harbor
Greece submerged in the sea       The blue light on its waters
A child wanders in torn clothes crying Vacation!

— Kenneth Koch, (1925-2002)
The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2006, p. 179
(Note: Koch was my Freshman English Professor at Columbia, 1959-60;
He taught children to write poetry in NYC; My teaching at CPITS)
Kenneth Koch
(1925-2002)
201) Poem 69 in Tomas Tranströmer's The Half-Finished Heaven (1987)
(There are 70 poems in this edition; Poem 69 is "April and Silence")
April and Silence

Spring lies abandoned.
A ditch the color of dark violet
moves alongside me
giving no images back.

The only thing that shines
are some yellow flowers.

I am carried inside
my own shadow like a violin
in its black case.

The only thing I want to say
hovers just out of reach
like the family silver
at the pawnbroker's.
Tomas Tranströmer, The Half-Finished Heaven
Chosen & Translated by Robert Bly
Graywolf Press, Minneapolis 2001, p. 94


Tomas Tranströmer
(1931-2015)
Nobel Prize 2011
202) There are 207 poems in Robert Creeley's Selected Poems, 1945-2005 (2008)
Poem #69 is "The Pattern"—

As soon as
I speak, I
speaks. It

wants to
be free but
impassive lies

in the direction
of its
words. Let

x equal x, x
also
equals x. I

speak to
hear myself
speak? I

had not thought
that some-
thing had such

undone. It
was an idea
of mine.
Robert Creeley
— Robert Creeley (1926-2005), Selected Poems, 1945-2005
    University of California Press, Berkeley, 2008, pp. 93-94
203) There are 284 poems in Robert Bly's Stealing Sugar from the Castle (2013)
Poem #69 is "The Heron Drinking"—
The bird dips to take some water to its bill.
We receive what the nation cannot give.
We are thirsty for the heron
And the lake, the touch of the bill on the water.
— Robert Bly (born 12-23-1926)
Stealing Sugar from the Castle:
Selected & New Poems 1950-2013
W.W. Norton & Co., New York, p. 106
(2008 Stanford Workshops, Reading)
204) There are 69 poems in Stephen Mitchell's
Parables and Portraits (1990), 69th poem is
Vermeer

        Quia respexit humilitatem
        ancillae suae. Luke I:48

She stands by the table, poised
at the center of your vision,
with her left hand
just barely on
the pitcher's handle, and her right
lightly touching the windowframe.
Serene as a clear sky, luminous
in her blue dress and many-toned
white cotton wimple, she is looking
nowhere. Upon her lips
is the subtlest and most lovely
of smiles, caught
for an instant
like a snowflake in a warm hand.
How weightless her body feels
as she stands, absorbed, within this
fulfillment that has brought more
than any harbinger could.
She looks down with an infinite
tenderness in her eyes,
as though the light at the window
were a newborn child
and her arms open enough
to hold it on her breast, forever.

Stephen Mitchell
— Stephen Mitchell (born 1943),
    Parables and Portraits
    Harper & Row, Publishers, NY, 1990, p. 83
    "Young Woman with a Water Jug" (book cover.)
205) There are 229 poems in Kay Ryan's
The Best of It (2010), 69th poem—
LIVING WITH STRIPES
In tigers, zebras,
and other striped creatures,
any casual posture
plays one beautiful set of lines
against another:
herringbones and arrows
appear and disappear;
chevrons widen and narrow.
Miniature themes and counterpointsmes
occur in the flexing and extending
of the smaller joints.
How can they stand to drink,
when lapping further complicates
the way the water duplicates their lines?
Knowing how their heads will zigzag out,
I wonder if they dread to start sometimes.

Kay Ryan,
US Poet Laureate
2008-2010
— Kay Ryan (born 9-21-1945),
    The Best of It (New & Selected Poems),
    Grove Press, NY, 2010, p. 85
    from Elephant Rocks (1996)
    (2010 Stanford Workshops)
206)
In James Richardson's By the Numbers (2010)
the poem "Vectors 3.0: Even More Aphroisms
and Ten-Second Essays" has 170 aphroisms.
Aphroism 69
Do unto others and an eye for an eye
have the same payment plan.
— James Richardson (born 1-1-1950),
    By the Numbers
    Copper Canyon Press,
    Port Townsend, WA, 2010, p. 39
James Richardson
207)
There are 173 poems in Jane Hirshfield's
Women in Praise of the Sacred (1994)
(43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women)
69th poem is by Hadewijch of Antwerp (13th century),
"Love's Constancy" (translated by Oliver Davies)
Anyone who has waded
Through Love's turbulent waters,
Now feeling hunger and now satiety,
Is untouched by the season
Of withering or blooming,
For in the deepest
And most dangerous waters,
On the highest peaks,
Love is always the same.
Jane Hirshfield
— Jane Hirshfield (born 2-24-1953),
    Editor of Women in Praise of the Sacred
    (43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women)
    HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1994, p. 102

69 in Numerology
208) Numerology: words whose letters add up to 69

BUDDHA SAPPHIRE :
(2 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 8 + 1) + (1 + 1 + 7 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 9 + 5) = 22 + 47 = 69

DRAGON FOUNTAIN:
(4 + 9 + 1 + 7 + 6 +5) + (6 + 6 + 3 + 5 + 2 + 1 + 9 + 5) = 32 + 37 = 69

DRAGONFLY ROSE :
(4 + 9 + 1 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 6 + 3 + 7) + (9 + 6 + 1 + 5) = 48 + 21 = 69

GOLDEN BUTTERFLY :
(7 + 6 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 5) + (2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 5 + 9 + 3 + 3 + 7) = 30 + 39 = 69

JERUSALEM PARADISE:
(1 + 5 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 5 + 4) + (7 + 1 + 9 + 1 + 4 + 9 + 1 + 5) = 32 + 37 = 69

KNIGHT JOURNEY:
(2 + 5 + 9 + 7 + 8 + 2) + (1 + 6 + 3 + 9 + 5 + 5 + 7) = 33 + 36 = 69

MOTHER MOUNTAIN:
(4 + 6 + 2 + 8 + 5 + 9) + (4 + 6 + 3 + 5 + 2 + 1 + 9 + 5) = 34 + 35 = 69

NINTEEN NINETY (1990):
(5 + 9 + 5 + 2 + 5 + 5 + 5) + (5 + 9 + 5 + 5 + 2 + 7) = 36 + 32 = 69

ONE TRINITY:
(6 + 5 + 5) + (2 + 9 + 9 + 5 + 9 + 2 + 7) = 16 + 53 = 69

SPINNING EAGLE:
(1 + 7 + 9 + 5 + 5 + 9 + 5 + 7) + (5 + 1 + 7 + 3 + 5) = 48 + 21 = 69

STRAIGHT ARROW:
(1 + 2 + 9 + 1 + 9 + 7 + 8 + 2) + (1 + 9 + 9 + 6 + 5) = 39 + 30 = 69

THIRD-EYE JEWEL:
(2 + 8 + 9 + 9 + 4) + (5 + 7 + 5) + (1 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 4) = 32 + 17 + 20 = 69

THUNDERBOLT DRUM:
(2 + 8 + 3 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 9 + 2 + 6 + 3 + 2) + (4 + 9 + 3 + 4) = 49 + 20 = 69

UNIVERSE SCREEN:
(3 + 5 + 9 + 4 + 5 + 9 + 1 + 5) + (1 + 3 + 9 + 5 + 5 + 5) + = 41 + 28 = 69

WILLIAM STAFFORD:
(5 + 4 + 7 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 4) + (1 + 2 + 1 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 9 + 4) = 48 + 21 = 69

YGGDRASIL TREE:
(7 + 7 + 7 + 4 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 9 + 3) + (2 + 9 + 5 + 5) = 48 + 21 = 69


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