1973
1973 is the year of the oil crisis that ended the post-war era of cheap energy.
- Odd
- Prime
Where 1973 fits
Why 1973 is special
An OPEC embargo roughly quadrupled the oil price within months, producing fuel rationing and speed limits in importing countries and ending a long period of assumed-cheap energy. Much of what followed in industrial policy dates from this shock.
Same number, different meanings
How 1973 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
An OPEC embargo roughly quadrupled the oil price within months, producing fuel rationing and speed limits in importing countries and ending a long period of assumed-cheap energy. Much of what followed in industrial policy dates from this shock.
- History
In 1973, an oil embargo triggered a global energy crisis, and the United Kingdom joined the European Communities.
- Finance & economics
An OPEC embargo roughly quadrupled crude prices within months in 1973, producing rationing, reduced speed limits and sustained inflation in importing countries. Much of the industrial and energy policy that followed dates from this shock rather than from any later one.
1973 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (2)
- 1, 1973
- Prime factorisation
- 1973
- Digit sum
- 20
- Digital root
- 2
Representations
- Decimal
- 1973
- Scientific notation
- 1.973 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M C M L X X I I I
MCMLXXIII uses the subtractive pair CM: a hundred before a thousand — a thousand minus a hundred.
Binary
1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 0 × 64 + 1 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 1 × 1 = 1,973
Octal
3 6 6 5
3 × 512 + 6 × 64 + 6 × 8 + 5 × 1 = 1,973
Hexadecimal
7 b 5
7 × 256 + b × 16 + 5 × 1 = 1,973
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 256 + 128 + 32 + 16 + 4 + 1 = 1,973.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 9 coils of rope, 7 hobbles, 3 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 9 × 100 + 7 × 10 + 3 × 1 = 1,973. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
3 corner wedges + 2 vertical wedges (sixties place), 5 corner wedges + 3 vertical wedges (units place)
32 × 60 + 53 = 1973. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
- Sophie Germain prime
Related numbers & connections
1973 is a year in the 20th century, in the 1970s.
Two oil shocks six years apart, the first from an embargo and the second from the Iranian Revolution. Together they ended the post-war assumption of cheap energy.
View 1979 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHistorical years
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- is associated with1979
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
History
In 1973, an oil embargo triggered a global energy crisis, and the United Kingdom joined the European Communities.
DocumentedHistoryGeography: globalPeriod: 1973
Finance & economics
An OPEC embargo roughly quadrupled crude prices within months in 1973, producing rationing, reduced speed limits and sustained inflation in importing countries. Much of the industrial and energy policy that followed dates from this shock rather than from any later one.
DocumentedFinance & economicsPeriod: 1973
Common questions
Is 1973 a prime number?
Yes, 1973 is prime — it has exactly two positive divisors: 1 and itself.
What are the factors of 1973?
The factors of 1973 are 1, 1973.
What is 1973 in Roman numerals?
1973 in Roman numerals is MCMLXXIII. CM is subtractive: a hundred before a thousand — a thousand minus a hundred. Written additively it would be MDCCCCLXXIII, which Roman inscriptions used freely — the strict subtractive form is a later convention.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 2 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026