Lorton, Virginia

January is for Palindromes:  That looks like the Janus of the animal kingdom doesn't it? Meet the king of beginnings and endings. Meet a visual palindrome: It reads the same forwards and backwards. It is even more fun if you compare the medallion to the name. There are two lions in the circle and two lions in the name (Leo and Lyons). The ultimate irony is that Gerald comes from the Norman French word for 'spear.' So, here's a man who was hunting himself. Pohick Church Cemetery. [2017]

Medora, Indiana

January is for Palindromes:  Rarely does a tombstone list the cause of death, but here is an exception. He was "killed by the Gars" in 1881, the only palindromal year of the 19th century.  Wouldn't you like to know the story behind that one? Maybe clans feuding, and maybe the gang warfare we have today on American streets isn't that alien to American culture. Shewmaker Cemetery. [2017]

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania

January is for Palindromes:  The most perfect of palindromal years was 1881. Why? Because it is perfectly symmetrical. Mirror symmetry applies to a bisection along either the x-axis or the y-axis. That's something you can't say about most other numerical palindromes, and it certainly doesn't apply to 1991 or 2002. It does, however, apply to the digits 0, 1, and 8. Get it? Mt. Olivet Cemetery. [2017]

Rockport, Arkansas

January is for Palindromes:  Here's another birth in 1919 and death in 1991. Using two 9s and two 1s, how many years can you list that have already passed anno domini? Three: 1991, 1919, and 1199. Two of those years are on this headstone. Recreational mathematics: Bingo! A  Rockport Cemetery. [2012]

Newberrytown, Pennsylvania

January is for Palindromes:  Palindromal numbers are part of a field called recreational mathematics, and there is no better place to entertain yourself with numbers than a cemetery. Numbers everywhere! Not only did she die in a palindromal year, her birth and death bookends are perfect binary code. Reverse just too digits in 1919 and you get 1991. What are the chances of that? Now you see why its called recreational mathematics. Paddletown Cemetery. [2017]

Alcoa, Tennessee

January is for Palindromes:  Somebody's brother stepped across the divide in a palindromal year and, then, passed on. It all happened in January, under the gaze of Janus, the god of palindromes. Sherwood Memorial Gardens. [2016]

Batesville, Indiana

January is for Palindromes:  Since they were married in a palindromal year, she must be able to read him forwards and backwards, and he must be able to read her forwards and backwards, too. Special powers go with special numbers. St. Louis Catholic Cemetery. [2013]

Hot Springs, Arkansas

January is for Palindromes:  In this case, the love of a dog for her master is reciprocated upon death. The Black Lab Mixed was born in a palindromal year, 1991, and experienced another palindromal year, 2002, before she died. Few pets can say their lives have been so palindromal!. Pet Lawn at Crestview Cemetery. [2012]

Auburndale, Florida

January is for Palindromes:  She died in 2002. Elle est décédée en 2002. Yes, in French, that sentence begins (elle) and ends (2002) with a palindrome. What about décédée? Could we call it a syllabic palindrome? If you read the syllables in reverse order, the word is the same. Think of a choo choo or a friend named Jo Jo. Lincoln Park Cemetery. [2014]

Caddo Valley, Arkansas

January is for Palindromes:  Whether you read her year of death forwards or backwards, it's still 2002. Here are all the palindromal years of the last millennium:  1001, 1111, 1221, 1331, 1441, 1551, 1661, 1771, 1881, 1991. Which one is your favorite? Wouldn't you love to have lived through January 1, 1111? Caddo Valley Baptist Church Cemetery. [2012]

Lebanon, Tennessee

January is for Palindromes:  Is being married during a palindromal year a good omen? Does it suggest a union of balance and sharing in which love flows equally in both directions? Only a few couples are able to say their marriage was blessed by a palindrome. Only those couples married in what years? By the way, is the cross a palindrome? Does it read the same forwards and backwards? Cedar Grove Cemetery. [2016]

Summerville, South Carolina

January is for Palindromes:  Here's someone who wasn't born in a palindromal year, but he was
"born again" in one. In fact, during his short lifetime, he saw two palindromal years, something that has not been possible for a millennium. 2002 was one of those years. What was the other? Now that you've got the pattern, what was the only palindromal year of the 19th century? the 18th century? Would it have been possible for someone's lifetime to encompass both of those palindromal years? Summerville Cemetery. [2012]

Cohocton, New York

January is for Palindromes:  Numbers can be palindromes, too: numerical palindromes. Here's a boy who was born on the ides of March in the first and only palindromal year of the 20th century, 2002. See, it's the same year forwards and backwards. Maple View Cemetery. [2013]

Durango, Colorado

January is for Palindromes:  Find the palindrome. Surname? No. Given name? No. Nickname? Yes! To the Bob buried below: Clickety-clack must have been music to his ears. To the Bob making music for the masses (scroll down): His jazz must match his nickname. Is there such a thing as palindromal music? Music that sounds the same when played forward and backward? Greenmount Cemetery. [2013]

"Bob: A Palindrome"

A 2013 Album by Bob Hurst

Can Music be a Palindrome?

Jefferson City, Missouri

January is for Palindromes:  A palindrome is a word that reads the same forwards and backwards. In this case, the surname is Germanic and comes from a root that means 'wealth.' She must have found her wealth in the arts and crafts. He must have found his in playing cards. And, every January, we find our wealth in looking to the past and to the future. The month was named after Janus, the god of beginnings and endings (and probably the god of palindromes). Resurrection Catholic Cemetery. [2015]

Millville, New Jersey

January is for Palindromes:  A palindrome is a word that reads the same forwards and backwards. In this case, the surname is of Anglo-Irish origin and means mid-afternoon or mid-day. By the way, palindromes can be made up of more than one word. Read this one backwards: A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama. Mount Pleasant Cemetery. [2016]

Janus: God of Beginnings and Endings
A visual palindrome looks the same from left to right as from right to left.

Vineland, New Jersey

January is for Palindromes:  A palindrome is a word that reads the same forwards and backwards.  In this case, the very rare surname is from the Estonian language. It's pattern is CVVC rather than VCCV.  Can you figure out what that means? Janus was a Roman god so prominent that his visage appeared on a Roman coin and so prominent that he got a month named after him. He looks both ways because he is the god of beginnings and endings. Back he looks at the year that's over and forward to the year that has yet to unfold. Siloam Cemetery. [2017]

Janus on a Roman Coin
Can a coin be a palindrome?

Hamilton, Ohio

January is for Palindromes:  A palindrome is a word that reads the same forwards and backwards. In this case, the word is a family name originating in the Italian language. It means 'bone.' If your last name were a palindrome, wouldn't you be tempted to use Hannah, Anna, Otto, or Bob for your kids. But, why is January the month for palindromes? Stay tuned. Saint Mary Cemetery. [2012]