In Markdown, how do I start a line with a number without creating a list?

Question

I want to start a line with a number in Markdown without it creating a list.

1. so my next line  will be parallel to the first      1. not indented    like this 

Answer 1

From the Markdown Syntax Documentation:

It’s worth noting that it’s possible to trigger an ordered list by accident, by writing something like this:

1986. What a great season.

In other words, a number-period-space sequence at the beginning of a line. To avoid this, you can backslash-escape the period:

1986\. What a great season.