The Week by the Numbers: November 24-30, 2013
By Matt Phifer
109 Yards – Distance Auburn’s Chris Davis Returned a Missed Field Goal to Win the Iron Bowl
On Saturday, 4th-ranked Auburn knocked off their heated rival, #1 Alabama, in the Iron Bowl with one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of college football as Chris Davis returned a 57-yard field goal attempt that fell short 109 yards to give Auburn a 34-28 victory as time expired. The Auburn faithful stormed the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium as college football analysts and experts hailed the touchdown as one of the greatest moments in the history of the game. Auburn’s win insured a spot for them in the SEC Championship Game this week while dashing Alabama’s hopes of a third straight national championship.
$14.2 Million – Price Paid for one of the First Books Printed in America
One of 11 surviving copies of the Bay Psalm Book, the first book printed in America, was sold at Sotheby’s New York for $14.2 million on Tuesday. The $14.2 million price tag is the most ever paid for a book at an auction, surpassing an $11.5 million winning bid for James Audubon’s “Birds of America” in December 2010. The book was one of 1,700 printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640 and is considered one of the rarest books in the world. The Old South Church in Boston sold the book to fund building repairs and its ministry.
$48.5 Million – Value of Kobe Bryant’s Two-Year Contract Extension
On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Kobe Bryant to a two-year contract extension valued at $48.5 million. The amount of the contract was not publicly announced, but a source reported the figure to ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Ramona Shelburne. The deal will keep the 35-year-old Bryant as the highest paid player in the NBA as the 2007-08 league MVP will make $23.5 million during the 2014-15 season and $25 million in the second year of the extension.
$1 Billion – Amount of Money Spent Online on Thanksgiving, A New Record
Adobe Systems, which analyzes 180 million visits to over 1,000 U.S. retail sites, says that over $1 billion was spent online on Thanksgiving, the most ever. Internet shopping was bigger than ever this year with eBay reporting a 35% increase and Amazon.com reporting a 25% increase by noon eastern time on Black Friday. The big online numbers may be part of why the reports of store violence and overall ugliness were down this year.
The Week By the Numbers: July 14-20, 2013
By Matt Phifer
7.5% – China’s Second Quarter Growth
China is the second largest economy in the world and it grew 7.5% in the second quarter over what it had the previous year. That is down from 7.7% growth from January to March. The Chinese government has set 7.5% growth as a target for all of 2013. That would mark the lowest rate of expansion in over two decades.
37 – Home Runs by Orioles slugger Chris Davis, tying the AL record at the All-Star break
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis launched his 37th home run of the season over the fences in the Orioles’ 7-4 win over the Blue Jays on July 14th. That ties Davis with Reggie Jackson for the most home runs by an American League player by the All-Star break. Jackson hit 37 home runs by the All-Star break in 1960 while playing for the Athletics. Mark McGwire holds the record for the most home runs by a player at the All-Star break with 39 in 2001.
95th – Birthday Celebrated by Nelson Mandela on July 18th
On July 18th Nelson Mandela, the former anti-Apartheid leader and President of South Africa, celebrated his 95th birthday. Mandela spent his birthday in a hospital where doctors said he was showing steady improvement from a six-week long lung infection.
5,000th – Daily Point of Light Award Presented
On July 15th, President Obama presented the 5,000th Daily Point of Light Award to Floyd Hammer and Kathy Hamilton. The two retired farm owners from Union, Iowa started a non-profit organization that delivers meals to hungry children around the United States and east Africa. The award was started by President George H.W. Bush in 1989 to recognize volunteer service.
$18-20 Billion – The likely debt of the city of Detroit
On July 18th, the city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy, making it the largest American city to ever take such a course of action. Emergency Manager Kevyn D. Orr says that the city’s debt is likely to be between $18 billion and $20 billion. Detroit has shrunk considerably in recent decades. 1.8 million people inhabited the city in 1950, but that number has dropped to 700,000.