Have you ever played the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”?
It’s a fun trivia game where you try to connect actors and actresses to Kevin Bacon through the movies they’ve appeared in.
But did you know that you can now find out your own Bacon number with just a quick Google search?
That’s right, Google has made it possible to see how many degrees of separation you are from the Hollywood icon.
But what exactly is a Bacon number, and how does it work?
In this article, we’ll dive into the origins of the game, how it works, and why it’s become such a popular phenomenon.
So sit back, relax, and let’s find out what your Bacon number is!
What’s My Bacon Number?
Your Bacon number is the number of degrees of separation you are from Kevin Bacon in terms of movie roles. If you’ve worked with Kevin Bacon in a movie, your Bacon number is 1. If you’ve worked with someone who has worked with Kevin Bacon in a movie, your Bacon number is 2, and so on.
To find out your own Bacon number, simply type “Bacon number” followed by your name into the Google search bar. You’ll be able to see how many degrees of separation you are from Kevin Bacon.
It’s important to note that not everyone will have a Bacon number. Only those who have appeared in movies can be linked to Kevin Bacon through this game. However, it’s still a fun way to see how closely connected you are to the Hollywood icon.
The Origins Of Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon
The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game originated in 1994 when three Albright College students – Craig Fass, Brian Turtle, and Mike Ginelli – were watching two Kevin Bacon movies back to back, Footloose and The Air Up There. They began to wonder how many movies Kevin Bacon had been in and how many people he had worked with. This led to the creation of the game, which they called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”
The game gained popularity after the three inventors wrote a letter to talk show host Jon Stewart, explaining the game and how Kevin Bacon was at the center of the entertainment universe. They appeared on The Jon Stewart Show and The Howard Stern Show with Bacon himself to explain the game. Initially, Bacon was not a fan of the game as he thought it was ridiculing him. However, he eventually came to enjoy it and even wrote the introduction for the book that the three inventors released, titled Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
The game is based on the concept of six degrees of separation, which suggests that any two people can be connected through a chain of no more than six acquaintances. In this case, it’s through movie roles that actors have played. An actor’s Bacon number is determined by how many degrees of separation they are from Kevin Bacon. If an actor has worked with Kevin Bacon in a movie, their Bacon number is 1. If they’ve worked with someone who has worked with Kevin Bacon in a movie, their Bacon number is 2, and so on.
The concept became so popular that a board game was even released based on it. Today, with the help of Google’s search feature, it’s easy to find out your own Bacon number and see how closely connected you are to Kevin Bacon in terms of movie roles.
How To Calculate Your Bacon Number
Calculating your Bacon number is a simple process. The first step is to identify any movies you’ve appeared in. If you’ve worked with Kevin Bacon directly, your Bacon number is 1. If not, you’ll need to identify any actors you’ve worked with who have also worked with Kevin Bacon in a movie.
Once you have identified the actors you’ve worked with, you can use the Oracle of Bacon website to calculate your Bacon number. Simply enter your name and the names of the actors you’ve worked with, and the website will calculate your Bacon number for you.
Alternatively, you can use Google’s Bacon number feature by typing “Bacon number” followed by your name into the search bar. Google will then provide you with your Bacon number and the path that connects you to Kevin Bacon.
It’s worth noting that not everyone will have a Bacon number. Only those who have appeared in movies can be linked to Kevin Bacon through this game. However, if you have acted in a movie, it can be a fun way to see how closely connected you are to Kevin Bacon and the rest of Hollywood.
The Science Behind The Game
The concept of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is based on the small world phenomenon, which was first introduced by sociologist Stanley Milgram in 1967. This phenomenon has been observed in various fields, such as social networks, scientific publishing, web links, and cellular networks. In the case of Hollywood, the concept applies to the movie industry and is based on the Erdős number concept.
The Bacon number is a measure of an actor’s or actress’s distance from Kevin Bacon in terms of movie roles. It is calculated by finding the shortest path between the actor or actress and Kevin Bacon using co-starring roles in movies as links. An actor who has worked with Kevin Bacon in a movie has a Bacon number of 1. An actor who has worked with someone who has worked with Kevin Bacon in a movie has a Bacon number of 2, and so on.
The game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was started by three college students who were watching Kevin Bacon’s movie “Footloose” and wondered how many movies he had been in. They constructed the Bacon tree, which linked actors to Kevin Bacon through their co-starring roles in movies. The game became popular and eventually turned into a board game, a book, a charitable organization, and now a Google tool.
The concept of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is based on the idea that the movie industry is a small world network, where actors are connected to each other through their co-starring roles in movies. This network exhibits the scale-free property, which means that there are a few highly connected actors (known as hubs) who are linked to many other actors, while most actors have only a few connections.
To find out your own Bacon number, you can use the Google search bar and type “Bacon number” followed by your name. This will show you how many degrees of separation you are from Kevin Bacon. While not everyone will have a Bacon number, it’s still a fun way to see how closely connected you are to Hollywood’s famous icon.
Famous Bacon Numbers And Surprising Connections
The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game has become so popular that it has led to the creation of a website that lists all the people who have a Bacon number of 7 or higher. However, there are some surprising connections that have been discovered through this game.
For example, James Purefoy, who appeared in Women Talking Dirty with Helena Bonham Carter, has a Bacon number of 2. Bonham Carter appeared in Novocaine with Kevin Bacon, linking Purefoy to Bacon through just two degrees of separation.
But it’s not just actors who have surprising Bacon numbers. Musicians who have appeared in films also have their own version of the game, called the Sabbath-Bacon number. Physicist Stephen Hawking famously holds the lowest known Sabbath-Bacon-Erdős number of 8, thanks to his appearances on The Simpsons and as a guest vocalist for Pink Floyd.
And if you’re interested in historical figures, there’s even a version of the game called Six Degrees of Francis Bacon. This website maps out the social connections between British historical figures from the 16th through 18th centuries, allowing you to see how closely connected they were to each other.
The Popularity Of Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon In Pop Culture
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a popular game that has been around since the mid-nineties. It’s based on the concept of six degrees of separation, which suggests that everyone in the world is connected to each other by no more than six degrees of separation. In the game, players try to connect any Hollywood actor to Kevin Bacon in as few links as possible.
The game gained popularity after a college student wrote a letter to Jon Stewart, who was hosting The Daily Show at the time, suggesting that Kevin Bacon was the center of the Hollywood universe. The letter went viral, and soon everyone was playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Since then, the game has become a cultural phenomenon, with websites and apps dedicated to helping people find their Bacon number. Google even added a Bacon number calculator to its search engine, allowing users to type in any actor’s name and find out how many degrees of separation there are between that person and Kevin Bacon.
While Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon may seem like just a fun game, it actually has some scientific relevance. It’s based on the small worlds phenomenon, which suggests that even in large networks, most nodes are not connected to each other directly but are connected through a few highly connected nodes.
Beyond Kevin Bacon: Other Actors And Their Connection Games
While the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game is undoubtedly the most famous of its kind, there are other similar games that involve connecting actors through their movie roles. One such game is called “The Oracle of Film”, which is based on the same concept as the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, but with a different starting point.
In The Oracle of Film, the starting point is Sir Sean Connery, who has appeared in over 60 films throughout his career. The goal is to connect any actor to Connery through the films he has appeared in, using as few steps as possible. For example, if you wanted to connect Tom Hanks to Sean Connery, you could do so by noting that Hanks appeared in The Terminal with Stanley Tucci, who appeared in Road to Perdition with Paul Newman, who appeared in The Untouchables with Sean Connery. This gives Hanks a “Connery number” of 3.
Another game that follows a similar concept is called “The Six Degrees of Separation from Nicolas Cage”. In this game, players try to connect any actor to Nicolas Cage through the movies he has appeared in. For example, if you wanted to connect Sandra Bullock to Nicolas Cage, you could do so by noting that Bullock appeared in Crash with Brendan Fraser, who appeared in The Air I Breathe with Forest Whitaker, who appeared in Panic Room with Cage. This gives Bullock a “Cage number” of 3.
