The year 2012 will close a curious date cycle of 25 years or a quarter of a century. In all year numbers included in this cycle, two of the four digits are always the same without any interruption whatsoever. However, if we add the digits of 1987, the result is 25, as if this number is heralding the coming of this curious cycle.

The following is a complete list of the 25 date numbers with the similar digits underlined:1988, 1989, 1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.

Can this mean “stability of an ever changing world order”?

Palindromes are words or numbers that read the same forward and backward. In this cycle, there are two such palindromes: 1991, 2002.

During this cycle digit changes range from 1 to 4.

Every year one digit is changed: 1988, 1989.

Every decade two digits are changed: 1989, 1990. Years 1991 and 2002 are special ones: 1991, 1991 and 2002, 2002.

Every century three digits are changed: 1999, 2000.

Every millennium four digits are changed: 1999, 2000.

So, people living during this date cycle could see the whole range of digit changes.

Two year numbers that have three similar digits are also obvious: 1999, 2000.

The first year following this curious cycle is 2013. Strange to say, the four digits of this year could be arranged in a consecutive order: 0123. Can this mean the beginning of a new era?

I tried to guess whether this cycle has anything to do with the end of the world on 12 – 12 – 12 or 21 – 12 –, 2012 but my exercise failed. Even though these dates 12 – 12 -2012 or 21 – 12 – 2012 or even 20 – 12 – 2012 are strange combinations indeed!