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Do you remember Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address? It was delivered in 1863, 87 years after the 1776 US Declaration of Independence. It began, "Fourscore and seven years ago ..." A 'score' is just another way of saying 20. Twenty of anything. It's similar to 'dozen' being just another way of saying 12. Fourscore is four times 20, or 80. Fourscore and seven is 80 plus seven, or 87. Lincoln could have begun his speech by saying, "Eighty seven years ago." But, "Fourscore and seven years ago" was a much more memorable way of expressing the same time frame. Way back then, eloquent oratory was a highly valued skill. Unlike today, with 'Yo, dude' and its ilk.

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16y ago

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