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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for August 17, 2023
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
August 17, 2023: Forty-five years ago, on August 17th, 1978, three men, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman landed their helium gas balloon 60 miles northwest of Paris, France, completing their 137.1 hour flight from Maine. This landing marked the world’s first-ever transatlantic balloon flight.[1]
Prior to this flight, there had been 13 attempted transatlantic balloon crossings, the earliest of these taking place 119 years earlier, in 1859.[1]
The 760 pound balloon drifted at an average speed of 22 miles per hour, covering a total distance of 3,099 miles.[2]
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- August 16, 2023-61% of voters favor putting video cameras in public school classrooms to ensure accountability
- August 15, 2023-106 ranked-choice voting bills have been introduced so far in 2023
- August 14, 2023-51% of voters favor a ban on automatic voter registration at DMVs
- August 11, 2023-Nine states have indirect ballot initiative processes
- August 10, 2023-53% of voters believe passing a budget that increases taxes would be worse than a government shutdown
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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