For anyone intrigued as to why Douglas Adams chose 42, it was simply the funniest number to have as that punchline. It needed to be double digits, as all the si

For anyone intrigued as to why Douglas Adams chose 42, it was simply the funniest number to have as that punchline. It needed to be double digits, as all the single digit numbers have cultural significances, it needed to not be prime or anything else interesting, and it needed to not be too "round" like a multiple of 5 or ten. He apparently tried a few, and then as soon as he tried 42 the joke landed perfectly. I love the fact that it's so perfect that he's unintentionally created the cultural significance he wanted to avoid.