Numbers in the News

BILL STREICHER/ICON SMI/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Pole vaulter (See "100" below)

2.3 million

Gallons of molasses that spilled in Boston in 1919, killing 21 people. A new study suggests cold winter temperatures thickened the goo, making it harder to escape.

100

Percentage of track-and-field events—including the long jump and pole vault—that will now be reported using the metric system at high schools in Florida, a first in the U.S.

46.8

Percentage of words correctly identified in TV clips by a Google lip-reading program. A professional lip reader caught only 12.4%.

10

Number of months that the common swift can stay in the air without landing. The birds may sleep during glides.

8

Number of bee species recently added to the U.S. endangered species list—the first bees ever listed.

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