42585 Pheidippides
This minor planet is named after Pheidippides (530 BC - 490 BC), a legendary Athenian herald who ran 240 km between the battlefield at Marathon to Athens in two days to report the Greek victory over the Persians. Legend says that he died of exhaustion immediately after delivering the news. This story is what inspired the modern marathon. Despite the somewhat extraordinary telling, it seems that Pheidippides the courier did actually exist. The symbol of this asteroid is a Greek letter Phi, as in the figure's name, with a small wave to the lower left, representing running. |
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page revision: 10, last edited: 26 Feb 2022 03:11
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