You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
20 candidates
On July 18, CNN will host a live drawing to determine who will take the stage on which of the two nights of Democratic presidential candidate debate to be held in Detroit later this month. The drawing will presumably be followed by a roundtable pundit discussion about the sensationalization of American politics. [Politico]
No. 7
Kevin Durant, a freshly minted Brooklyn Net, will wear the No. 7 jersey for the team after having worn No. 35 for the first 12 seasons of his NBA career. He announced the change in a statement posted by his company, Thirty Five Ventures. And before you check, sevenventures.com appears to already be owned by a German investment company. [ESPN]
8,569 players
The 50th annual World Series of Poker’s Main Event, the $10,000-entry no-limit Texas Hold ’em championship, is underway this week, having attracted 8,569 entrants, the second-largest field in its history, just shy of the 8,773 who showed up in 2006. Fewer than 3,000 of them remain as I write this on Monday evening, and 1,286 will wind up in the money. First prize is $10 million. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
+20.3 points
Following the Democratic presidential debate sparring between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Harris increasingly became the talk of the media. Her share of mentions on cable news increased 20.3 percentage points from the week before, and her mentions in online stories increased 11.8 points. Biden still topped the coverage list, however, mentioned as he was in more than 40 percent of the coverage of the Democratic field. [FiveThirtyEight]
1,000 feet
An “unidentified climber” scaled the entirety of the 1,000-foot, 95-floor Shard skyscraper in London early Monday morning, apparently unencumbered by such extraneous paraphernalia as ropes or a harness. Authorities spoke with the man upon the completion of his ascent but he was not arrested. Lest you get any notions, the Washington Post reports that “most visitors tend to admire the sights from the inside the building.” [The Washington Post]
8 buildings
Eight buildings designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright — including the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Robie House in Chicago, and Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania — were recognized by the United Nations and added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. “Each of these buildings offers innovative solutions to the needs for housing, worship, work or leisure,” the World Heritage Committee said in a statement. [CBS News]
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