Mirrorbreak – Seven years, the period of bad luck breaking a mirror is said to bring. Does not necessarily signify a bad seven years.
Nielsen Hour/Nielsen Half-Hour – 44 minutes and 22 minutes, the period of actual original programming, minus commercials, in a broadcast hour or half-hour in the United States. Falling out of use with the rise of streaming and the decline in Nielsen ratings as a barometer.
Zanziwar – 38 minutes, the length of the Anglo-Zanzibar War, often called the shortest declared war in history. Used in the early-to-mid 20th century but now fallen out of use due to its colonialist overtones.
Handfast – One year and a day (366 days). Often erroneously described as a period of ‘trial marriage’ in common law, but owes more to Sir Walter Scott than any historical period. Occasionally used by neopagans who accept Scott’s historical invention. Note: disregards leap years entirely.
Long Count – 10,251 years, 264 days, or the period between the epoch of the Mayan Long Count calendar (Thursday, Apr 1, 8239 BCE) and the end of its 13th bʼakʼtun (Dec. 20/21, 2012CE). Based on a fundamental misreading of and misunderstanding about the Mayan calendar, peaked in popularity in the early 2010s before the damp squib of the actual 2012 reduced its usage.
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