Musings on this, the 11^th day of the 7^th month in the year 2011 …

The numbers 7 and 11 have deep meaning in the casino game “Craps,” where a dice roll of 7 or 11 is considered a “natural” — and a win — if one bets on the “Pass Line.”

Even though I’ve never played craps, 7 and 11 have always been my favorite numbers (I don’t know why), so it’s not coincidental that I’m sitting here today on 7/11/11 thinking curiously about these numbers, and searching for some meaning … I mean, why seven and eleven?  Why not three or fifty-three?  What do these numbers mean in the context of the grand scheme of my life and passions?

I’m not a pessimist, but I doubt I’ll ever really know for sure.  In any event, I just did a quick search about “this day in history,” which led me to history.com.  Here’s some of what I just discovered about 7/11 that has some loose ties to ANGUILLA RISING, our effort to make a movie about Anguilla’s 1967 to 1969 revolution.

On 7/11, 1804, the 3^rd Vice President of a still young United States (Aaron Burr) shot and killed Alexander Hamilton, the chief architect of America’s political economy, and its 1^st Secretary of Treasury (his face adorns the U.S. $10 note).

22 years earlier on 7/11, 1782, the British fled Georgia — one of Britain’s most loyal colonies — as part of a British evacuation in which many of the remaining British soldiers were transported by frigate and sloop to the British Leeward Islands.

More recently, on 7/11, 1967 (and you won’t find this on the History.com page), 2,000 registered voters in Anguilla were casting ballots on whether or not to officially secede from a British Caribbean state, which included St. Kitts.  As voters were casting their ballots, others — armed with rifles, pistols, hoes, and rakes — stood on Anguilla’s beaches ready to fight if Premier Robert Bradshaw of St. Kitts launched an invasion to regain control of tiny Anguilla, which had expelled his police force six weeks earlier — effectively igniting another British-involved revolution.

Now, some quick, fascinating coincidences:

Alexander Hamilton, the American revolutionary patriot killed on 7/11, was actually born in Nevis.

When the British fled Georgia — their most loyal remaining colony — many of the soldiers were sent to the British Leeward Islands, which would’ve included St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla (though, I suspect, they may have ended up in Antigua).

Anguilla’s rebellion against St. Kitts included Nevis, which was the 3^rd island in the British state.  Of course, Britain was also deeply involved.

7/11/1967 turned out to be a HUGE day in Anguillian history (and a big one in British history, too, with many parallels to the American revolution).  Voters confirmed their secession from St. Kitts and Nevis by a vote of 1813 in favor to 5 opposed.

And, like I just said, this is a big British story, too.  You see, the Anguillians didn’t want to secede from Britain — they loved their Queen … and still do!   They wanted no part, however, of any continuing arrangement or relationship with a government based in St. Kitts — seventy miles away — in which the Anguillians had no autonomy or self-determination.

Today — 7/11/11 — William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are finally resting at home after a whirlwind eleven day visit to Canada and the United States, where they were guests of honor in Hollywood at a BAFTA “Brits to Watch” event in Hollywood.  For those of you who don’t already know this, Will is the President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the UK’s leading independent charity working with the film, TV and video games industries.

As to 7 and 11 being my favorite numbers — and my search for the meaning in these twin numbers … I don’t know if I found a direct or absolute answer about their meaning, but this I do know:  they involve St. Kitts, Nevis, & Anguilla; they involve the British; they involve twin British revolution stories; they may involve Will (and Kate) and BAFTA; and, they definitely involve ANGUILLA RISING — a moviemaking project with deeply embedded British roots.

It might be about time for me to start playing craps!