# What's the longest thread in the history of this board? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 3, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231 "2014-12-03T16:00:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/21 "2014-12-05T20:59:50Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Amateur. > > The [Trivia Dominoes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=550730)thread is currently 22,500 posts long, and shows no sign of ever ending. > [@Sparky812](#): > > Bah, the Baker’s Dozen thread is closing in on 32,000 posts. :: scuffs toe of shoe; smiles shyly :: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/22 "2014-12-05T21:35:09Z")
Wouldn’t the longest thread be the one with the largest word count? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/23 "2014-12-06T01:27:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Wouldn’t the longest thread be the one with the largest word count? > > 😃 What about one with fewer words than that one would have but using bigger words and so more letters? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/24 "2014-12-06T01:37:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > What about one with fewer words than that one would have but using bigger words and so more letters? When is the standard number of letters per word when wordcounts for books are announced? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/25 "2014-12-06T02:28:02Z")
The phrase you’re looking for is “column inches.” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/26 "2014-12-07T18:31:14Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > When is the standard number of letters per word when wordcounts for books are announced? There’s no one good answer for this. I’ve seen five letters per word, or six characters (the space after is the sixth.) In the days of typewriters, standard was 250 words per page with pica type (10 characters per inch) or 333 words with elite type (12 characters per inch), both approximations. That was when ms style was fixed at 25 lines per page with one inch margins. You can’t do that with a book, because every book seemed to use slightly differently-sized type, with different margins, and different leading. That was often manipulated to keep books from getting too short or too long - the physical thickness of a book and its word count are only mildly correlated. You have the same problem online, since people use different default fonts. Length of an online thread is also affected by the number and size of quotes. Might as well use number of posts as first approximation. But not number of pages. That’s right out. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/27 "2014-12-08T00:58:47Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > The Pigeon Eggs plague has about 1,876. Someday, I’ll have to check what this thread is about. I remember that it started with actual pigeon eggs, but I assume that after several years, the chicks were born and have flown away long ago. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/28 "2014-12-08T23:41:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Wouldn’t the longest thread be the one with the largest word count? > > 😃 No, the one with the largest word size! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/29 "2014-12-09T01:53:24Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Someday, I’ll have to check what this thread is about. I remember that it started with actual pigeon eggs, but I assume that after several years, the chicks were born and have flown away long ago. We keep getting more. Right now we have a pair of chicks, or “squabs,” out there that are 12 days old. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/30 "2014-12-09T03:48:29Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > We keep getting more. Right now we have a pair of chicks, or “squabs,” out there that are 12 days old. 😃 Oops! They’re only 11 days old. I thought it was Wednesday. (It’s Tuesday morning over here right now.) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231/31 "2015-01-16T17:00:19Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > The Pigeon Eggs plague has about 1,876. Which forum does that properly belong to again? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-thread-in-the-history-of-this-board/706231.md?page=1)