You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
23 percent
The world’s most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, crashed as much as 23 percent Thursday, from about $1,153 per bitcoin to $887 per bitcoin, just as it was within spitting distance of its all-time high, $1,165.89 per bitcoin. [CNBC]
2,361 books
Chuck Finley, a fake person made up by several librarians, checked out 2,361 books at East Lake County Library in Florida over nine months of 2016. It’s crazy — Finley seemed to take an interest in books just as their time-on-shelf-without-being-checked-out expiration date was about to arrive. [The Orlando Sentinel]
92 million
Number of subscriptions to music streaming services across the industry, a jump of about 50 percent in 2016. [Bloomberg]
$900 million
In an attempt to stay afloat, Sears is selling its Craftsman brand of tools to Stanley Black & Decker for $900 million. Sears bought the brand in 1927 for $500. [The Wall Street Journal]
$2,237,633,000
A woman is suing Chipotle for more than $2 billion, saying the company used her photo in promotional materials without permission, because presumably her attorney couldn’t stomach pursuing a dime more than eleventy bazillion dollarinos. [Grub Street]
$8 billion
Charles F. Feeney, who made a fortune from duty-free stores and prudent investments in technology companies, last year successfully completed his goal of giving away $8 billion. Over years of giving, he aggressively avoided the spotlight and asked recipients not to publicize the donations. Feeney has kept about $2 million — with an “m,” not a “b” — to continue his modest retirement. What a nice dude. [The New York Times]
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