You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the telling numbers tucked inside the news.
14 faces
A 14-faced die was located in a tomb near Qingzhou City in China, indicating the existence of a board game known as “bo” at least 2,300 years ago. A skeleton was also discovered, and as I understand it, the poor fellow had a series of exceedingly bad rolls and had to forfeit the quest. But it should be clear that I’m not an archaeologist. [Live Science]
23 percent
Donald Trump is currently leading in a poll of New Hampshire Republicans, with 23 percent of the vote according to a new WBUR survey. [Bloomberg]
50 percent
Taxi companies have filed a lawsuit against New York City regulators, with one alleging it has seen leasing income drop by as much as 50 percent as a result of increased competition from ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft. [Ars Technica]
53 percent
Percentage of Americans opposed to an effort to continue resettling Syrian refugees. A further 11 percent would only settle Syrian refugees if they were Christian. [Bloomberg]
94 percent
Ninety-four percent of respondents in a new survey said that it was very or somewhat important that people in our country could practice their religion freely. Good to know, ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn. [Pew Research Center]
136 years
In part because of the El Niño forming in the Pacific, this October was the hottest of 136 years on record. [Bloomberg]
370,000
Approximately 370,000 customers were without power following a wind storm that pummeled Washington State. [K5]
422 million
Last week, “Reclining Nude” by Amedeo Modigliani sold for $170 million at an art auction, a debt apparently settled using an American Express card. As a result, the buyer, Liu Yiqian, will obtain 422 million American Express points, or roughly 28 million frequent flyer miles. [The New York Post]
3,324 episodes
“The Soup” on E!, which for the past 12 years has been anchored by Joel McHale, will come to an end after a run extending since 1991, the year after I was born. As of today, 3,324 episodes of the weekly program have aired. [The Wrap]
28.3 million
Average viewership of Sunday’s Patriots-Giants game, the most-watched NFL broadcast of the season so far for CBS. Did the Giants lose 27-26? Yes. Did the Giants lose to a triumphant and cocky Patriots squad? Sure. Did Eli Manning barter with a New Orleans woods witch during his youth in order to curse the Patriots and ensure a quadrennial Super Bowl? Do I look like a cop? All I’m saying is that the Giants might make the playoffs, and God knows I’d watch this prophecy manifest once more. [Awful Announcing]
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