Neither is authentic. No one in 51 B.C. could have foreseen the existence of Jesus of Nazareth, much less that he would arrive in exactly 51 years. And George would not have been called George I until it became necessary to distinguish him from George II (“Victoria” will not become “Victoria I” until we have a “Victoria II”).

02/27/2024 UPDATE: Reader Emilio Díaz notes that King Juan Carlos I of Spain opted for a regnal number though no distinction was necessary. A joke runs Hoy voy a ver a Juan Carlos primero, y a la reina después (“Today I’m going to see Juan Carlos first, and the queen later”). The practice varies among monarchies. (Thanks, Emilio.)

Just read it straight through:

Here stop and spend a social hour
In harmless mirth and fun.
Let friendship reign, be just and kind,
And evil speak of none.

From William T. Dobson, Literary Frivolities, Fancies, Follies and Frolics, 1880.

See also Requiescat In Pace.

All that is necessary is to tilt the barrel as in Fig. 1, and if the edge of the surface of the water exactly touches the lip a at the same time that it touches the edge of the bottom b, it will be just half full. To be more exact, if the bottom is an inch or so from the ground, then we can allow for that, and the thickness of the bottom, at the top. If when the surface of the water reached the lip a it had risen to the point c in Fig. 2, then it would be more than half full. If, as in Fig. 3, some portion of the bottom were visible and the level of the water fell to the point d, then it would be less than half full.

This method applies to all symmetrically constructed vessels.

1. A clock strikes six in 5 seconds. How long does it take to strike twelve?
Answer: Not 10 seconds, but 11 — one second per interval.

2. A bottle and its cork together cost $1.10. The bottle costs a dollar more than the cork. How much does the bottle cost?
Answer: Not $1.00, but $1.05.

3. A train leaves New York for Chicago at 90 mph. At the same time, a bus leaves Chicago for New York at 50 mph. Which is farther from New York when they meet?
Answer: Neither — when they meet they’ll be equally distant from anywhere, n’est-ce pas?

You’ll hear from my attorney.

The rolling wheel makes two revolutions. You can prove this to yourself using two coins with milled edges—hold one in place and roll the other around it.

1. Mrs. A and Mrs. C cross
2. Mrs. A returns
3. Mrs. A and Mrs. B cross
4. Mrs. B returns
5. Mr. A and Mr. C cross
6. Mr. A and Mrs. A return
7. Mr. A and Mr. B cross
8. Mrs. C returns
9. Mrs. A and Mrs. B cross
10. Mrs. A returns
11. Mrs. A and Mrs. C cross

Other solutions are possible, but all require at least 11 crossings. (The price of propriety!)

No, it can’t be done.

Each domino covers two squares, a light one and a dark one. Therefore a board can be tiled perfectly only if it has an equal number of light and dark squares.

The original board met this requirement, but we’ve removed two squares of the same color (diagonal corners). So the task is impossible.