Yes, the numbers. Below is a work in progress of all the times that the numbers have appeared within the show. Whether this be in flashbacks or on the island itself. If you have any other times that the numbers have cropped up then please drop me an email on brett dot cook at gmail dot com.

As you know the secret numbers are 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. They are a constant recurring sub-plot throughout the show and hopefully one day their significance will be revealed. For now the whole world is pondering what the hell they mean. I personally have no idea so felt that my only contribution would be to just provide the facts and let all the creative people decide what it all means. Special thanks go to Billie Doux’s excellent recaps and reviews of the show which have provided some excellent things I missed and also some laughs. Where possible I will try to give references to the episode where I spotted this so that you can check it out yourself.

Due to a lack of internet access I’ve had to stop at the start of Series 2. But since the numbers have really started taking a back seat since then I don’t know when I’ll start again. Hopefully when I get some internet access and I can download the rest of S2. B.

All numbers together

• Hurley used the numbers to win the Mega lottery.
• Sam Toomey used the numbers to win £50,000 by guessing the exact number of beans in a jar at the Calgary fair.
• The numbers were heard on a longwave transmission (surely shortwave?) 16 years ago by Leonard and Sam. This transmission eminated from the radio tower on the island that is now playing out Danielle’s message.
• Hallmarked onto the hatch

Part combinations

• The most obvious one is Oceanic Airways flight number 815. Numbers 8 and 15.
• 234 - The track number of the Driveshaft song “You all everybody” on the jukebox. Numbers 4 and 23. (s1ep15)
• When Hurley buys the car from a hotel guest to get to the airport it contains all but one of the numbers at some point. It’s travelled 42 miles. It’s 23 degrees. It’s going 16km/h when it breaks down. We then see the speedo drop to exactly 8 and 4km/h. It missed 15.
• Locke’s Mum lived at 2248 Greenwood Ave. 2+2 = 4. 4 and 8 are numbers. 2 fours are 16.
• Kate held up a bank to get into one safe deposit box. Box number 815.
• The copier that Charlie was selling was a Heatherton C-815. Also a link to The Office within that sketch too.
• When John was asked where the footballs were by his mum he told her that there were two types. One on aisle 8 and one on aisle 15
• When Kate is stealing the guy’s boots on the beach the number 815 is on the tongue of the boot. (s1ep01)

The number 4

• The number of scratches on Jack’s face (s1ep01)
• The number of guns in the marshall’s case. (s1ep12)
• The number of years Locke was wheelchair bound (s1ep04)
• The number of years Tito had a pacemaker (s1ep18)
• The number of years since Sam Toomey killed himself (s1ep18)
• The number of people that will fit on Michael’s raft (s1ep17)
• The number of months that Michaelangelo stared at a piece of marble “working” in Locke’s story (s1ep13)
• The number of miles from the beach where Locke ties Boone up (s1ep13)
• The number of inhalers Boone brought with him for Shannon (s1ep8)
• The number of days before they burn the bodies in the fuselage wreckage
• The number of kids the nurse, in Michael’s backstory, is the mother of.
• The number of traps setup by Locke on the beach to protect them from Ethan Rom
• The number of months the palm reader hasselled Claire to keep her baby
• The number of weeks ago that Locke said he wouldn’t of believed “this crazy talk”
• The number of 4’s on Sarah’s shirt (2 on the front and 2 on the back) (s1ep20)
• The number of shots fired by Kate’s bank robbing pals (s1ep12)
• The number of times Locke bangs on the hatch before the light comes on! (s1ep19)
• The number of days that Boone has been in the woods with Locke for before Shannon asks what he’s doing.
• The number of months before they can launch the raft with the correct tidal pattern.
• The number of people on the boat that kidnaps Walt (s1ep25)
• The number of letters in a word that means “I don’t care”, Shannon asks!
• The number of bottles of water Hurley takes for his trek to see the “French chic” (s1ep18)
• The number of scratches Claire leaves on Dannielle’s arm
• The number of bracelets Charlie’s junkie-tart is wearing (s1ep24)
• The number of finger bands that Charlie wears.
• The number on the dice in the game of Mousetrap at the toy store where Locke worked (s1ep19)
• The number of people who died in the car bomb in Iraq (Sayid’s story)
• The number of people at the Hatch when they blow it open. Locke, Kate, Jack and Hurley. (s1ep25)
• The number of scratches on Ethan Rom’s cheeck (s1ep15)
• Leonard was playing Connect 4 (s1ep18)
• The plane hit turbulence at 40,000 feet.
• The guys had been running the “bean scam” for 40 years (s1ep18)
• Charlie exagerated that Locke had bought 400 knives.
• “Adam & Eve” have been dead in the caves for “over 40 years” (s1ep06)
• The number of explosives in each box in the suicine bombers van (s1ep21)
• When Sawyer is reading to the baby the truck has a 4.4l engine.

The number 8

• The number of months that Claire is pregnant. (s1ep1)
• The number of kilometres that the hitman tells Jin to drive after he has delivered the message. (s1ep17)
• “8… something people” died in the factory fire at Hurley’s shoe factory in Canada. (s1ep18)
• The number of years since Michael was hit by the car. (s1ep10)
• The number of years since Michael has been writing to Walt. (s1ep10)
• The number of months Locke has been calling “Helen” (s1ep04)
• The number of days since Charlie had played his guitar. (s1ep05)
• The number of weeks the Driveshaft tour was going to be (s1ep07)
• The number of days until Locke, Jack, Charlie, Sun and Jin moved to the caves. (s1ep05)
• The number of years Michael worked in construction.
• The number of months since the farmer’s wife had died (Kate’s backstory)
• The number of beers Jack’s best man would have before he gave the speech (s1ep20)
• The age of Sawyer when his Dad killed his mum and himself (s1ep08)
• The age of Shannon when her Dad married Boone’s mum (s1ep13)
• The news channel which was interviewing Hurley on his win (s1ep18)
• The number of the month when Walt was born (August)
• The number of days Claire was missing with Ethan for (s1ep15)
• The shoe size of Charlie (s1ep02)
• The size of the engine of the truck from the magazine Sawyer was reading to Aaron was V8
• Hurley said “Twinkies stay fresh for 8,000 years
• The guy on the scooter in Hurley’s backstory has “Crazy 8″ on his hat
• The number of times that Jack hits the cockpit door before it opens (s1ep01)
• The number of deaths in Season 1
• The number of people in the elevator, including Charlie (s1ep24)
• The number on the bottle that Kate uses to die her hair (s1ep22)

The number 15

• The number of people in Danielle’s science party (s1ep09)
• The number was on the whiskey bottle that Sawyer and Christian Shepard drank from (s1ep11)
• The number of hours that Boone was flying for to “rescue” Shannon. (s1ep13)
• The number of km to the nearest town from the farm in Kate’s backstory.
• Locke’s mother was born on the 15th of October
• Sun was to leave the airport at 11:15 (s1ep06)
• The number of miles offshore the raft is when it’s destroyed (s1ep24)

The number 16

• The speed Hurley is going when the car he’s driving breaks down (s1ep24)
• The number of hours between crashing and Jack/Kate and Charlie finding the pilot (s1ep1)
• The number of weeks since someone had won the lottery before Hurley (s1ep18)
• The number of years Danielle’s message had been playing (s1ep09)
• The age of the patient in Jack’s first procedure.
• The number of hours the flight would last
• Sawyer scammed Jess out of $160,000 of her husband’s money (s1ep08)
• The poster on the pool hall is dated June 16th (s1ep08)
• The number of years since Kate buried the time capsule (s1ep22)
• Hurley gives the old guy on the scooter sixteen hundred dollars for the scooter (s1ep24)

The number 23

• The sum of the flight number 815 and obviously two of are other favourite numbers ;).
• The temperature that the engine (or air conditioning?) is at when Hurley’s car breaks down (s1ep24)
• The number of times Jack hits Charlie’s chest giving him CPR.
• The reward for Kate is 23 thousand dollars.
• The minute hand on Jin’s watch is at 23 when Michael returns it to him.
• The minute hand on Jack’s watch is at 23 when he’s signing papers.
• The minute hand on Sun’s dad’s watch is at 23 when signing a paper.
• The time on Charlie’s watch when Aaron is taken is 7:23. (s1ep23)
• The time when Michael is woken by Walt’s noise at the hotel is 5:23. (s1ep24)
• Jack’s seat is 23B (s1ep24)
• Michael and Walt were also on row 23 in the plane. (s1ep24)
• Hurley’s hotel room was on floor 23 (s1ep24)
• The plane left from gate 23.
• Another poster in the pool hall is dated 23rd May (s1ep08).

The number 42

• 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything.
• The number of Kilometers travelled by Hurley’s bought car on the way to the airport. (s1ep24)
• The number of spaces on a Connect 4 board, the game being played by Leonard are psycho-number-spouting pal.
• Claire was 6 weeks late when she found out she was with baby. That’s 42 days.
• Total number of rows on flight 815. (Found from seat planner on Oceanic-air.com)
• Analucia’s seat was 42F. (s1ep24)

The sum of the numbers, 108.

• Circled on the murial in the bunker (s2ep01)
• The number of minutes to input the numbers into the computer to “save the world.” (s2ep03)