So, this question popped into my head the other day, or maybe someone asked, I can’t quite recall. The gist was, “how many years ago was 1968, if we’re looking from 2023?” Now, on the surface, that sounds pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? And, well, it mostly is. But you know how it goes, sometimes the simplest calculations, you just want to be absolutely sure, or you start to second-guess yourself for a moment.
My immediate thought, like probably yours, was just “subtract the smaller from the bigger.” Easy peasy. But then, I had this tiny flicker of, “Hang on, am I missing something?” It’s not like it’s rocket science, but I’ve seen folks, myself included, get tripped up by the obvious when not paying full attention. My old dad used to say, “Measure twice, cut once,” and I guess that applies to numbers sometimes too, even if there’s no wood involved.
My Super Scientific Method (Spoiler: It’s Just Subtraction)
Alright, so here’s the grand unveiling of my sophisticated process. I didn’t need a lab coat for this one, thankfully.
- First up: I pinned down the two years. We have 2023, that’s our end point, the “current” year in the question. And then we have 1968, the starting point, the year we’re looking back at.
- Next step: The core logic. To find the difference, the span of time, you take the later year and subtract the earlier year. So, it was going to be 2023 minus 1968.
Now, some whiz kids can do this in their head in a flash. Me? On certain days, especially before I’ve had my morning tea, my mental arithmetic can be a bit, let’s say, scenic. So, I wasn’t too proud to just grab a piece of scrap paper and a pen. Could’ve used the calculator on my phone too, no shame in that. The aim is to get it right, not to show off how fast your brain cogs are turning.
So, I lined them up:
2023
– 1968
I did the borrowing and carrying, you know, the classic stuff. Took 8 from 3 (well, 13), then 6 from 1 (well, 11 after borrowing again), 9 from 9, and 1 from 1. And out popped the number: 55.
So, 55 Years. What’s That Feel Like?
Fifty-five. That’s the magic number. When you just say “fifty-five years,” it has a certain weight to it, doesn’t it? It’s not just a couple of years; it’s a solid chunk of a lifetime for many. Think about it – that’s over half a century. A lot of water under the bridge in 55 years.
It’s funny, sometimes a year like 1968 feels like ancient history, like black and white TV and strange haircuts. Other times, you hear a song or see a photo from that era, and it feels surprisingly recent, almost tangible. But putting that number, 55, on it kind of grounds it. It gives a real measure to that feeling of “a long time ago.”
So, there you have it. That was my little journey through a simple subtraction. Nothing earth-shattering, but a good reminder that even basic stuff is worth doing step-by-step if you want to be sure. And now we know, with confidence, that 1968 was 55 years prior to 2023. Simple as that, really, once you take a moment to work it out.
