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From: lute@abnjh.UUCP (J. Collymore)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.games.trivia
Subject: Clockmakers' Superstition on your Clock Face
Message-ID: <282@abnjh.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 31-Oct-83 10:44:51 EST
Article-I.D.: abnjh.282
Posted: Mon Oct 31 10:44:51 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Nov-83 20:41:34 EST
Lines: 26



If you have ANY clocks, watches or sun-dials, made in either Europe or the US
using Roman numerals, you will notice something unusual on the face.

On these clocks you will see that the number 4 is different, being
represented as:  IIII, rather than the correct IV.  The reason for this goes
back to times B.C.

You see, Jupiter (or Jove) was the cheif of the Roman gods.  The short-hand
representation for Jove was IV.  Sometime long ago it was believed that to
use this short-hand was blasphemy, and would bring a curse upon the person
inscribing it.

To avoid this curse, sun-dial (and later watch and clock) makers avoided
using IV to represent the number 4, and instead used IIII.

So the next time you see a clock, watch or sun-dial, look at the 4 on the
face.


					Jim Collymore


p.s.  I can't fully verify the truth of this superstition, but it makes
interesting party conversation (especially on Halloween).