Wise Men Stats: May

Inspired by Harper's Index

May 1

Inspired by Harper's Index

Percentage of the world's countries that officially observe May Day as a public holiday: 66
Year in which the United States specifically chose September for Labor Day to distance it from the socialist May Day: 1894
Number of Chicago workers who were killed during the 1886 Haymarket affair that gave May Day its labor symbolism: 7
Average number of tulip bulbs exported from the Netherlands each year, in billions: 2.2
Ratio of May Day morning dew that British folklore claimed could cure freckles if applied to the face: 1 (universal remedy)
Number of languages into which "Happy Labor Day" is officially translated in the European Union: 24
Percentage of migratory songbirds that arrive in North America during the first two weeks of May: 40
Year Mayday (the aviation distress call) was adopted internationally as the standard emergency signal: 1927
Number of minutes after sunrise that May 1 sunrise fishing is statistically most productive in freshwater lakes: 45
Estimated number of Beltane bonfires lit in Scotland on May 1 during the height of Celtic tradition: 10,000
Average temperature increase, in degrees Fahrenheit, that North America experiences between May 1 and May 31: 9
Percentage of college graduates in the U.S. who finish their degrees in May: 57

May 2

Year Leonardo da Vinci died, on May 2: 1519
Number of paintings definitively attributed to da Vinci in his lifetime: 15
Estimated value of the Salvator Mundi, sold in 2017, in U.S. dollars: 450,300,000
Ratio of da Vinci's notebooks that survived to those estimated lost: 1:2
Percentage of the human body that water constitutes, a fact da Vinci was first to systematically study: 60
Number of inventions da Vinci sketched that were not built until centuries after his death: 70
Average weight of a honeybee queen, in milligrams, compared to a worker bee: 3x heavier
Number of eggs a honeybee queen can lay per day at peak season: 2,000
Year the first commercial email spam was sent: 1978
Estimated number of spam emails sent worldwide per day, in billions: 122
Percentage of all email traffic that is classified as spam: 45
Calories burned per hour by a professional competitive eater during competition: 840

May 3

Number of countries that celebrate World Press Freedom Day on May 3: 100+
Ranking of Finland in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index: 1
Ranking of North Korea in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index (last place): 180
Percentage of journalists killed in 2023 who were local reporters: 90
Year the first newspaper in the Americas was published, in Mexico City: 1541
Number of words in the average daily edition of The New York Times: 230,000
Comparative word count: that's roughly 3 complete novels per issue
Percentage of Americans who get their news primarily from social media: 31
Average time per day Americans spend reading news, in minutes: 16
Number of active daily newspapers in the United States in 1900 versus today: 2,200 vs. 1,230
Year the printing press was invented, accelerating journalism's spread: 1440
Speed, in pages per hour, that Gutenberg's press could print: 300

May 4

Year "Star Wars" was released in theaters (May 25, though May 4 became "Star Wars Day"): 1977
Estimated total box office revenue of the Star Wars franchise, in billions: 10.3
Number of languages into which Star Wars films have been dubbed: 40+
Estimated weight of a full Darth Vader costume, in pounds: 25
Number of actors who have played Darth Vader across films (suit vs. voice): 5
Percentage of children aged 6-12 who could identify Darth Vader's breathing sound in a 2020 study: 89
Year "May the Force be with you" was first spoken on screen: 1977
Number of planets in our solar system with confirmed moons: 7
Number of moons orbiting Saturn, the most of any planet: 146
Percentage of Earth's ocean that remains unmapped at high resolution: 80
Depth of the Mariana Trench in miles: 7
Number of times Mount Everest could be stacked in the Mariana Trench: 1.2

May 5

Countries officially celebrating Cinco de Mayo as a national holiday: 1 (Mexico, and only regionally in Puebla)
Percentage of Americans who believe Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day: 74
Mexico's actual Independence Day: September 16
Volume of beer consumed in the U.S. on Cinco de Mayo, in gallons: 50,000,000
Number of margaritas Americans drink on Cinco de Mayo, estimated: 81,000,000
Year of the Battle of Puebla, which Cinco de Mayo commemorates: 1862
Size of the Mexican army that defeated the French at Puebla, versus the French force: 4,000 vs. 6,000
Rank of avocado among the most consumed fruits globally by volume: 4
Pounds of avocados consumed in the U.S. on Super Bowl Sunday vs. Cinco de Mayo: Super Bowl wins by 30%
Number of avocados produced by a single tree annually: 200-300
Year avocados were first introduced to the United States: 1871
Percentage of U.S. avocados imported from Mexico: 90

May 6

Year Sigmund Freud was born, on May 6: 1856
Number of Freud's case studies that formed the foundation of psychoanalytic theory: 5
Percentage of Freudian psychological concepts still considered scientifically valid: 10
Number of cigars Freud smoked per day, contributing to his oral cancer: 20
Year Freud fled Vienna for London after the Nazi occupation of Austria: 1938
Age Freud was when he died in London: 83
Number of Wikipedia edits made per day, on average: 385,000
Percentage of Wikipedia editors who are estimated to be male: 90
Languages in which Wikipedia is available: 300+
Number of articles in the English Wikipedia: 6,800,000+
Percentage of Wikipedia articles that cite at least one source: 99
Number of years it would take one person to read all of English Wikipedia: 28

May 7

Year Tchaikovsky was born, on May 7: 1840
Number of symphonies Tchaikovsky composed: 6
Estimated number of times "Swan Lake" is performed globally each year: 1,500
Bpm (beats per minute) of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy": 116
Year the Nutcracker Ballet premiered: 1892
Percentage of classical music concertgoers who are over 60: 42
Average price of a front-row seat at the Bolshoi Ballet, in U.S. dollars: 280
Number of Beethoven symphonies that begin with the same four-note motif: 1 (the Fifth)
Year the first symphony orchestra was established (Mannheim, Germany): 1743
Average number of musicians in a full symphony orchestra: 80-100
Percentage of professional orchestral musicians who suffer from performance-related injuries: 76
Number of times the conductor beats per minute during Ravel's Boléro: 76

May 8

Year V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) was declared: 1945
Approximate number of people killed in World War II: 70,000,000-85,000,000
Percentage of the Soviet Union's male population aged 18-35 that died in WWII: 25
Number of countries involved in WWII at its peak: 30
Months it took the Soviet Union to recover formal diplomatic function after the war ended: 6
Tons of bombs dropped on Germany by Allied forces during WWII, in thousands: 1,350
Year the last surviving WWII veteran is estimated to die (based on actuarial projections): 2040
Number of Nuremberg trials held after the war: 13
Percentage of war crimes defendants at Nuremberg who were convicted: 92
Year the last German WWII POW returned home from Soviet captivity: 1956
Number of countries that currently have nuclear weapons: 9
Combined explosive yield of the world's nuclear arsenal in megatons: 13,000

May 9

Year the first Mother's Day was celebrated in the U.S. (established by Anna Jarvis): 1908
Year it became a national holiday in the U.S.: 1914
Year Anna Jarvis began campaigning against the commercialization of Mother's Day: 1920
Amount Americans spend on Mother's Day annually, in billions: 35
Percentage of that spending on flowers: 25
Number of flowers purchased for Mother's Day in the U.S.: 145,000,000
Rank of Mother's Day among highest restaurant traffic days in the U.S.: 1
Percentage increase in collect phone calls on Mother's Day versus any other day: 12
Average amount Americans spend per Mother's Day recipient: 225
Number of mothers in the United States: 85,000,000
Percentage of mothers who say they prefer experiences over gifts: 58
Year the U.S. Postal Service first issued a Mother's Day stamp: 1934

May 10

Year the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, at Promontory Summit, Utah: 1869
Length of the Transcontinental Railroad in miles: 1,776
Number of workers — mostly Chinese immigrants — who built the Central Pacific portion: 10,000-20,000
Average daily wage of a Chinese railroad worker in 1860s dollars: 1.00
Average daily wage of a white railroad worker doing the same job: 1.35
Year the Chinese Exclusion Act, partially spurred by anti-railroad-worker sentiment, was passed: 1882
Number of years the Chinese Exclusion Act remained in force: 61
Miles of railroad track in the U.S. at its peak (early 20th century): 254,000
Miles of railroad track in the U.S. today: 140,000
Percentage of U.S. freight moved by rail: 30
Year Amtrak was founded: 1971
Average speed, in mph, of Amtrak's fastest train versus Japan's Shinkansen: 150 vs. 200

May 11

Year Minnesota became the 32nd U.S. state, on May 11: 1858
Number of lakes in Minnesota: 10,000+
Actual number of lakes in Minnesota larger than 10 acres: 14,380
Percentage of the world's fresh water stored in the Great Lakes: 20
Number of walleye caught by Minnesota anglers per year: 10,000,000
Rank of Minnesota among U.S. states for per-capita fishing license sales: 1
Average Minnesotan's annual spending on fishing, in dollars: 300
Temperature of Lake Superior in January, in Fahrenheit: 34
Percentage of Minneapolis residents who commute by bicycle year-round, including winter: 4
Year the Mall of America, the largest mall in the U.S., opened in Minnesota: 1992
Number of stores in the Mall of America: 520
Estimated number of visitors to the Mall of America per year: 40,000,000

May 12

Year Florence Nightingale was born, on International Nurses Day: 1820
Number of nurses Nightingale commanded at Scutari during the Crimean War: 38
Percentage by which she reduced hospital mortality rates through sanitation: 40
Year Nightingale became the first woman elected to the Royal Statistical Society: 1858
Number of nurses currently working globally, in millions: 29
Global nursing shortage projected by 2030, in millions: 13
Percentage of registered nurses in the U.S. who are women: 87
Average annual salary of a registered nurse in the U.S., in dollars: 82,750
Percentage of ICU patients who would die without skilled nursing intervention: 47
Number of countries that observe International Nurses Day: 100+
Age Florence Nightingale lived to: 90
Number of letters Nightingale wrote in her lifetime: 13,000

May 13

Year "Stevie Wonder" Judkins Morris was born, on May 13: 1950
Age at which Wonder signed his first record deal with Motown: 11
Number of Grammy Awards Stevie Wonder has won: 25
Percentage of his Grammys won during a single 5-year creative peak (1972-1976): 40
Number of instruments Stevie Wonder can play: 25+
Year Wonder became blind, due to excess oxygen in an incubator: 1950 (birth)
Percentage of congenital blindness cases caused by incubator oxygen toxicity before modern protocols: 35
Number of "1 Hits" Stevie Wonder has had: 10
Age Wonder was when he had his first No. 1 single: 13
Number of countries where his 1985 "Part-Time Lover" reached No. 1: 5
Copies sold of "Songs in the Key of Life" album worldwide, in millions: 10+
Year Stevie Wonder testified before Congress to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day: 1981

May 14

Year Israel declared independence, on May 14: 1948
Hours after declaration that the U.S. recognized Israel as a state: 11
Number of Arab states that invaded Israel immediately after independence: 5
Population of Israel at independence: 806,000
Population of Israel today: 9,700,000
Percentage of Nobel Prizes won by Jewish recipients since 1901: 22
Jewish percentage of global population: 0.2
Number of countries that do not recognize Israel: 32
Ratio of land area: Israel vs. Texas: 1:14
Year the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in nearby Qumran: 1947
Number of Dead Sea Scroll texts discovered: 981
Age of the oldest Dead Sea Scroll, in years: 2,300

May 15

Distance, in miles, that a monarch butterfly travels in its annual migration: 3,000
Weight of a monarch butterfly, in grams: 0.5
Percentage of monarch butterfly population that has declined since the 1980s: 90
Number of milkweed plants required to support one monarch caterpillar to adulthood: 20-30
Acres of wintering habitat monarchs use in Mexico: 6-15 (varies by year)
Year the monarch was proposed for threatened species listing: 2022
Number of generations of monarchs it takes to complete a full migration cycle: 4
Wingspan of a monarch in inches: 4
Speed at which monarchs fly, in mph: 12-25
Altitude monarchs can reach during migration, in feet: 11,000
Number of eggs a monarch lays in its lifetime: 300-500
Percentage of monarch eggs that survive to adulthood: 5

May 16

Year the first Academy Awards ceremony was held: 1929
Duration of the first Oscar ceremony, in minutes: 15
Number of awards given at the first Oscars: 15
Longest Best Picture winner in runtime (Ben-Hur, 1959), in minutes: 222
Percentage of Best Picture winners that star a white male lead: 68
Year the first non-English-language film won Best Picture (Parasite): 2020
Average cost to campaign for an Oscar nomination in Hollywood, in millions: 5-15
Number of Oscar voters as of 2024: 10,000+
Percentage of Oscar voters who are white: 72 (as of 2022)
Percentage of Oscar voters who are women: 33
Year the Academy first allowed streaming films to qualify: 2020
Box office multiplier for Best Picture winners following win: 1.5x

May 17

Year "Brown v. Board of Education" was decided by the Supreme Court, on May 17: 1954
Number of Black children who attended segregated schools in the U.S. at the time: 8,000,000
Year the last legally segregated school district in the U.S. desegregated: 1970
Percentage of U.S. public schools considered "intensely segregated" today: 18
Number of justices who voted unanimously in Brown v. Board: 9
Year racial segregation on interstate buses was ruled unconstitutional: 1960
Number of Freedom Riders who boarded buses to test that ruling: 400+
Percentage of Black Americans with a bachelor's degree in 1950 vs. today: 2.8% vs. 26%
Racial wealth gap ratio: median white family net worth vs. Black family: 7.8:1
Year the Civil Rights Act passed: 1964
Number of days it took to filibuster the Civil Rights Act in the Senate: 60
Year the Voting Rights Act was passed: 1965

May 18

Year Mount St. Helens erupted catastrophically, on May 18: 1980
Height lost by Mount St. Helens in the eruption, in feet: 1,314
Square miles of forest flattened by the lateral blast: 230
Speed of the landslide triggered by the eruption, in mph: 150
Temperature of the pyroclastic flows, in Fahrenheit: 1,300
Number of people killed: 57
Number of animals killed: 7,000 deer, elk, bear — estimated 12,000,000 fish
Cubic miles of material ejected: 1
Miles from the eruption that ash fell: 900
Countries that detected the ash cloud: 11
Year Mount St. Helens last erupted before 1980: 1857
Percentage of Mount St. Helens' original height restored since 1980: 30

May 19

Year Malcolm X was born, on May 19: 1925
Age Malcolm X was assassinated: 39
Number of countries Malcolm X visited during his final years to build international connections: 14
Year Malcolm X broke with the Nation of Islam: 1964
Copies of "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" sold, in millions: 10+
Number of languages the autobiography has been translated into: 45+
Year "Malcolm X" by Spike Lee was released: 1992
Runtime of Spike Lee's Malcolm X film, in minutes: 202
Number of FBI files maintained on Malcolm X: 3,600 pages
Ratio of FBI surveillance hours on Malcolm X to actual crimes committed: incalculable
Year the FBI formally apologized for its COINTELPRO program targeting civil rights leaders: never (officially)
Percentage of COINTELPRO operations targeting Black activist organizations: 40

May 20

Year Amelia Earhart completed her solo Atlantic crossing (departing May 20): 1932
Flight time, in hours: 14h 56m
Miles flown: 2,026
Altitude reached, in feet: 10,000
Temperature Earhart encountered at altitude, in Fahrenheit: -20
Year Earhart disappeared over the Pacific: 1937
Reward offered in 1937 for information leading to Earhart's recovery, in today's dollars: 5,000,000
Number of licensed female pilots in the U.S. when Earhart first flew: fewer than 100
Number of female commercial airline pilots in the U.S. today: 9,000
Percentage of commercial airline pilots who are women globally: 5
Year the first female airline captain flew commercially in the U.S.: 1976
Number of solo transoceanic flights Earhart completed: 2

May 21

Year the American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton, on May 21: 1881
Age Clara Barton was when she founded the Red Cross: 59
Percentage of U.S. blood supply provided by the Red Cross: 40
Number of units of blood the Red Cross collects daily: 17,000
Hours blood products remain viable after collection: 42
Percentage of the world's population that has ever donated blood: 3
Number of lives saved per blood donation: up to 3
Year the Red Cross first adopted the International Humanitarian Law (Geneva Conventions): 1864
Countries with a Red Cross or Red Crescent chapter: 192
Number of volunteers serving in Red Cross operations globally: 16,000,000
Percentage of Red Cross workers who are volunteers rather than paid staff: 97
Annual Red Cross global budget, in billions: 3.5

May 22

Year Arthur Conan Doyle was born, on May 22: 1859
Number of Sherlock Holmes stories Doyle wrote: 60
Number of times Doyle actually used the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson": 0
Year Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes (temporarily): 1893
Volume of reader mail Doyle received demanding Holmes's return, in thousands of letters: 20
Year Doyle brought Holmes back due to public pressure: 1901
Percentage of British readers in a 2019 poll who believed Sherlock Holmes was real: 14
Number of Sherlock Holmes adaptations for film and TV produced since 1900: 254+
Year the Baker Street address (221B) became a museum: 1990
Number of letters mailed to "Sherlock Holmes" at 221B Baker Street each year: 70,000
Height of the actual Baker Street building where the museum is located, in floors: 3
Year Doyle became deeply committed to Spiritualism, embarrassing the scientific community: 1918

May 23

Year the Bonnie and Clyde ambush took place, on May 23: 1934
Number of bullets fired at Bonnie and Clyde's car by law enforcement: 167
Number of times the car was hit: 107
Speed at which they were driving when ambushed, in mph: 85
Number of law officers killed by Bonnie and Clyde during their crime spree: 9
Total bank robberies attributed to the Barrow gang: 13
Average take per robbery, in Depression-era dollars: 1,400
Viewing cost to see Bonnie and Clyde's bullet-riddled car at exhibitions: 10-25
Number of people who visited the car at the Texas State Fair in 1934: 500,000
Year the movie "Bonnie and Clyde" was released: 1967
Percentage of the American public who expressed sympathy for the pair during the Depression: 40
Age of Clyde Barrow at death: 25

May 24

Year Queen Victoria was born, on May 24: 1819
Duration of Queen Victoria's reign, in years: 63
Number of countries in the British Empire at its peak under Victoria: 57
Percentage of Earth's land area in the British Empire at its peak: 24
Number of Victoria's children who married into European royal families: 9
Year Queen Victoria became the first monarch to use anesthesia during childbirth: 1853
Percentage of British monarchs before Victoria who used medical anesthesia: 0
Number of assassination attempts on Queen Victoria: 8
Age Victoria was when Prince Albert died, widowing her: 42
Years Victoria spent in mourning for Albert: 40
Average age at which British women were widowed in Victoria's era: 47
Percentage of the current European monarchies with DNA connecting to Queen Victoria: 60

May 25

Year George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, on May 25: 2020
Number of protests held globally in the following weeks: 4,700
Countries in which Black Lives Matter protests occurred: 60+
Number of people estimated to have participated in BLM protests globally: 26,000,000
Number of days Derek Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd's neck: fractional — 9 minutes 29 seconds
Year police brutality data collection began federally in the U.S.: 2020 (still incomplete)
Number of unarmed Black Americans killed by police per year, estimated: 130
Ratio of Black Americans killed by police versus white Americans (per capita): 3:1
Percentage of Minneapolis police budget spent on response to mental health calls: 2
Year Minneapolis voted to dissolve its police department (later reversed): 2020
Number of U.S. cities that have implemented police reform measures since 2020: 200+
Percentage of Americans who supported police reform measures in 2020 polls: 65

May 26

Year Dracula by Bram Stoker was published, on May 26: 1897
Number of Dracula film adaptations produced since 1922: 200+
Earnings of the vampire film genre since 1990, in billions: 7+
Percentage of Americans who believe vampires are real, according to a 2009 poll: 23
Year the first recorded human "vampire hysteria" panic occurred (Serbia): 1725
Number of Twilight books sold, in millions: 160
Percentage of Twilight readers who were female: 75
Age of vampire mythology's oldest known written reference, in years: 4,000
Number of countries with indigenous vampire-like folklore: 75+
Year the first "vampire" medical condition (porphyria) was formally identified as linked to folklore: 1985
Calories in a liter of human blood: 450
Number of actual vampire bat species in existence: 3

May 27

Year Rachel Carson was born, on May 27: 1907
Year "Silent Spring" was published: 1962
Number of pages in "Silent Spring": 368
Percentage reduction in bald eagle population attributed to DDT before Carson's book: 90
Year DDT was banned in the United States (following Carson's advocacy): 1972
Year bald eagles were removed from the Endangered Species List: 2007
Number of bald eagles in the U.S. today versus 1963: 316,000 vs. 417
Pesticides still in use globally that Carson identified as dangerous: 20+
Threats Carson received from the chemical industry after publication: documented in congressional testimony
Year Carson died of cancer: 1964 (age 56)
Amount the chemical industry spent discrediting Silent Spring, in today's dollars: estimated 10,000,000+
Copies of "Silent Spring" sold since publication: 2,000,000+

May 28

Year the first Amnesty International appeal was published, on May 28: 1961
Number of political prisoners Amnesty International has helped free: 60,000+
Countries in which Amnesty International operates: 160+
Members and supporters worldwide: 10,000,000
Year Amnesty International won the Nobel Peace Prize: 1977
Number of people held as political prisoners worldwide today, estimated: 1,000,000+
Countries rated "not free" by Freedom House: 57
Percentage of world population living under authoritarian rule: 38
Number of journalists imprisoned globally in 2023: 363
Year the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted: 1948
Number of languages the UDHR has been translated into: 500+
Percentage of UDHR signatory nations with ongoing documented human rights violations: 70

May 29

Year Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Everest, on May 29: 1953
Time they spent at the summit, in minutes: 15
Height of Everest, in feet: 29,032
Percentage of oxygen in the air at Everest's summit versus sea level: 33
Number of people who have summited Everest since 1953: 6,000+
Number of bodies remaining on Everest that have not been recovered: 200+
Cost of a permit to attempt Everest today, in U.S. dollars: 11,000-70,000
Year the first commercial Everest expedition was offered: 1992
Pounds of waste removed from Everest in cleanup expeditions since 1990: 200,000+
Tons of human waste deposited on Everest annually: 12
Year a climber set the record for fastest summit from base camp: 2022 (10 hours 56 minutes)
Average time for a standard Everest summit attempt: 40 days

May 30

Year the first Indianapolis 500 was held, on May 30: 1911
Winner's average speed in the first Indy 500, in mph: 74.6
Current Indy 500 average speed record, in mph: 170+
Number of laps in the Indianapolis 500: 200
Distance of each lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in miles: 2.5
Gallons of milk consumed by the winner in the victory tradition: ~1 (a bottle)
Year the milk tradition began at Indianapolis: 1936
Amount bet on the Indy 500 annually in the U.S., in millions: 300+
Number of spectators the IMS can hold, making it the largest single-day sporting venue: 257,000
Number of crew members on a typical Indy car pit crew: 6
Average pit stop time in seconds: 3-5
Number of Indy 500 deaths in the race's history: 42

May 31

Year the Johnstown Flood occurred, on May 31: 1889
Deaths in the Johnstown Flood: 2,209
Speed of the flood wall of water, in mph: 40
Height of the water wall in feet: 60
Minutes it took to destroy Johnstown: 10
Tons of debris piled at a stone bridge downstream: 30 across, 40 high
Amount of relief aid sent to Johnstown from around the world, in today's dollars: 50,000,000+
Year the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club (whose dam failed) was sued and won: they were never held liable
Number of club members who were Carnegie-era industrialists: 61
Year the Johnstown Flood National Memorial was established: 1964
Percentage of the original dam site visible today: 50
Number of floods Johnstown has experienced since 1889: 3 major ones (1936, 1977)