TODAY'S date can be read the same way forwards, backwards and upside down.

       The rare phenomenon is called an ambigram and a palindrome.

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       The date 22 February, 2022, is an ambigram as when you turn it upside down it reads exactly the same What is an ambigram?

       Today's date is 22 February 2022 and when written as 22/02/2022 it not only forms a palindrome but it is also an ambigram.

       This is because it can be read the same upside down.

       There are only four ambigram numbers - 0, 1, 2 and 8 - these appear the same when viewed upside down.

       Words can also form ambigrams.

       These are words that retain their meaning when flipped 180 degrees.

       Simple ambigrams can be formed from the lower case letters l, o, s, x and z as they look the same upside down.

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       Some letters are rotations of each other such as b/q, d/p, m/w, and n/u.

       This means that words such as sos, dollop and mow read the same upside down.

       There are also mirror image ambigrams words such as bid, which reflects as bid, and mom, which can be flipped to read wow.

       Merriam Webster dictionary describes an ambigram as "something (such as an image of a written word or phrase) that is intended or able to be oriented in either of two ways for viewing or reading".

       An ambigram is not the same as a palindrome, which is a word or number that can be read the same backwards and forwards, such as radar, civic and the date 29/02/2092.

       There are 12 palindrome days in the 21st century in the mm-dd-yyyy format with the first one on October 2, 2001 while the last one will be on September 2, 2090.

       In the UK format, dd-mm-yyyy, there are 29 palindrome days in the current century.

       The first one was on 10 February 2001, while the last one will fall on a leap day on, 29 February 2092, from the 21st century.

       The palindrome and ambigram works for the British date format of 22 February 2022 - as it is written 22/02/2022.

       What dates are ambigrams?

       Ambigram dates are very rare and only occur once in a blue moon.

       Prior to February 22, 2022, the last palindrome and ambigram date in the dd/mm/yyyy format was February 12, 2021 - 12/02/2021.

       The phenomenon will not happen again until February 8, 2080.

       Here's some of the dates in the UK day and month format:

       20/02/2002 01/02/2010 11/02/2012 21/02/2012 02/02/2020 12/02/2021 22/02/2022 08/02/2080 18/02/2081 28/02/2082 What is the significance of an ambigram?

       The February 22, 2022, date is doubly rare and an unprecedented milestone.

       Not only is it an ambigram but it also a palindrome, meaning it is asymmetrical as well - with the date being dubbed "Twosday".

       This means the mirror image of the date will read exactly the same and will also read the same upside down.

       Many think a palindromic date is lucky - so surely when it's an ambigram too it must be even luckier!