I'm no genealogist, so perhaps my understanding of the following is completely off base, but nevertheless I thought I'd use simple mathematics to point out some fascinating numbers.
You = 1 person
Your parents = 2 people
Grandparents = 4 people
Great-grandparents = 8 people
Great x2 = 16 people
Great x3 = 32 people
Great x4 = 64 people
Great x5 = 128 people
Great x6 = 256 people
Great x7 = 512 people
Great x8 = 1,024 people
Great x9 = 2,048 people
Great x10 = 4,096 people
Great x11 = 8,192 people
Great x12 = 16,384 people
Great x13 = 32,768 people
I work in a city with a population of about 40,000, so knowing that I have nearly as many great (x13) grandparents (and considerably more great x 14 grandparents) is virtually impossible to fathom.
If the pattern continues up to great x20 grandparents, each individual would have 4,194,304, or roughly the size of Los Angeles proper.
Most fascinating of all, most peoples' great x20 grandparents wouldn't have lived even just 1000 years ago. If you take me, for example (b. 1982) and go back in increments of 25 years (a good average in my case, since it's approximately how old my parents were when I was born, how old my grandparents were when my parents were born, etc.), my 4,194,304 great x20 grandparents would have lived in the 15th century.
I don't know about you, but I find it extremely humbling to know that my existence is the result of millions of individuals procreating.
That's your weekend food for thought. :-)
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