Difference between revisions 94499896 and 94530955 on enwiki

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10:08
{{accuracy|date=October 2006}}
[[Image:BwcMarlinNoSweep.jpg|thumb|The hands are set to about 10:11]]

'''10:08''', 8 minutes past 10, is roughly the time  to which analog [[watches]] are set in most advertisements{{dubious}}, though actual times shown vary between about 10:08 and 10:10. There are several reasons offered by watch companies, many of them [[psychology|psychological]], and none of them verifiable as the actual origin of the practice: 

(contracted; show full)

Oddly enough, 10:08 is also the time at which a [[12-hour clock|12-hour]] digital display will have the maximum number of digit "segments" turned on. However, digital watches in commercials are more often set to [[10:58]]. Early (mid-1970s) LCD clock ads would often show [[12:08]], which has a large number of "on" segments (one 
lessfewer than 10:08), showcases four different digits, and is not 10:08&mdash;a virtue in its own right, as digital clocks were marketed as a break with the past.

[[Urban legend]]s are frequently heard to the effect that the watches are set to commemorate the hour at which some famous person died: often [[Abraham Lincoln]] or [[John F. Kennedy]]. All such stories prove to be several hours off when calculated.

==References==
* Answer on [http://archives.stupidquestion.net/sq82798.html stupidquestion.net]
* Cecil Adams' [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_330.html Straight Dope article]

[[Category:Advertising]]
[[Category:Clocks]]