General fact: 144 is the number of square inches in a square foot.
Mathematical fact: 144 is in base 10 a sum-product number, as well as a Harshad number.
Trivia: 144 is the number of months in 12 years.
Historical date: May 23rd is the day in 1967 that Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran and blockades the port of Eilat at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba to Israeli shipping.