Newsy, 14, Knows His Figures But They Are All ‘Just Dates’

Camden Courier-Post – June 21, 1933

Learn First Day of Each Month, is His Explanation STARTED TRAINING ONLY 6 YEARS AGO

By HENRY C. BECK

Step up, Mr. Einstein, and meet Julian DiNicholas, Camden’s young and unsung mathematical genius!

Makers of calendars and teachers who dote on dates of civic and historic importance had better watch out for Julian for he can roll out figures faster than an adding machine.

Young DiNicholas is 14, and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert DiNicholas, of 325 Benson Street. Appreciation of his wizardry at dates came, however, on the corner of Third and Federal Streets, where Julian lingers every day before starting on his newspaper route.

It’s practically forgotten now who it was that discovered Julian. Suddenly, one Saturday afternoon, when reporters were draped about the news room of the Courier-Post, waiting for a news breath, Julian began telling the boys what days their birthdays would fall on, what days were scheduled for holidays in the present and future and what day any date would be as long as the month was specified. Since then Genius DiNicholas has been put to work every time he came by.

Yesterday somebody thought to ask Julian how he did it. He hesitated, modestly, looked at the floor through his thick-lensed glasses and said, in a low. voice: “I know the first day of each month.”

“That’s a job in itself,” Mathemetician DiNicholas was told. “What did you do, memorize them?”

“Yes,” he said, non-committally.

“When did you start memorizing?” was the next question.”

“About six years ago,” was the reply.

Before some of the skeptics tackled Chronicler DiNicholas, he was coaxed to reveal that he is in the 9B grade of the No. 1 Junior High School, Haddon and Newton Avenue, and that his favorite subject is arithmetic.

Julian fairly beamed when he said he liked “his figures.” But all joking aside, Enigma DiNicholas is going to make the world sit up and take notice in just a few more years. When he comes into his own, it won’t make much difference what Mr. Hitler thinks of Mr. Einstein and where the relativity theorizer is in exile.

There was one problem that puzzled Julian, just the same. It wasn’t revealed until the boy had been persuaded to pose for a picture. Dates on calendars were reeled off, birth days went without error, but when it came to knowing how many brothers and sisters he had, Julian had to scratch his head and think.

“Three brothers and one sister,” he said slowly. “Two brothers’ younger than me and one older. One sister, too, she’s older.”

Julian smiled nervously and eased his way out. The interview was over.