You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
1 vote
It appears that Democrat Shelly Simonds, after a laborious recount, has won the election to serve as the next representative of Virginia’s 94th House District. Republican David Yancey had led by 10 votes going into the recount, but when it was all finished, Yancy had 11,607 votes to Simonds’ 11,608. As a result, the Virginia House of Delegates is tied 50-50, and Democrats and Republicans will have to enter into a power sharing arrangement. Don’t let anyone tell you that your vote doesn’t count. [The Washington Post]
23 percent
Bitcoins have gotten ridiculously pricey this year. All those people who bought in when the cryptocurrency was new and shiny and incredibly cheap are poised to cash in big. Still, a massive chunk of bitcoins — up to 23 percent of the total supply — is believed to be lost, locked behind forgotten passwords or hidden in misplaced drives. [The Wall Street Journal]
60 percent
Percentage of Americans who said President Trump’s election has worsened race relations in the U.S., according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. In this regard, the president has surpassed expectations: In Nov. 2016, only 46 percent of Americans said they expected race relations to get worse under Trump. [Pew Research Center]
85 percent
That’s the percentage of Americans who said they had seen the movie “Titanic,” which hit cinemas 20 years go yesterday. That’s a high number, and it holds across all ages and genders. [FiveThirtyEight]
48,000 euros
It’s my favorite time of the year, when some municipality’s Christmas tree up and dies weeks before the holiday season is over. A populace is then forced to watch a conifer waste away in the center of their town, helpless. While the tree falling apart in the Rhode Island state house gets an honorable mention, the true honor this year goes to Rome, where their 48,000-euro tree ($57,000) has been dubbed “The Mangy One” and is hilarious to behold. [AP News]
$100 million
Lady Gaga will reportedly set up shop in the desert, signing on to a residency at the MGM Park Theater in Las Vegas for a sum near $100 million. [Variety]
Check out Besides the Points, my new sports newsletter.
If you see a significant digit in the wild, send it to @WaltHickey.