Geeks around the world are celebrating palindrome day, a day so rare that it’s certain to happen only once in their lifetimes.

This is when the date – in this case 02/02/2020 – reads the same way back to front.

However, while palindrome days come and go – 20/02/2002 is another example – this one is special.

Unlike the date in 2002, this one reads the same in the US, where dates are written as month-day-year instead of day-month-year as in much of the rest of the world.

It also works for China and a handful of other countries which put the year first.

The last time a palindrome like this happened was November 11, 1111.

We don’t have to wait quite so long for the next international palindrome day, though – it’s 12 December 2121.

Those who are super-engaged with dates and numbers will have pointed out another anomaly.

Sunday, February 2, is number 33 in days of the year – 33 being another palindrome. And as this is a leap year, it’s also 333 days from the end of the year – a third palindrome.