Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for October 20, 2023
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
October 20, 2023: On October 20, 1803, the Louisiana purchase was ratified by Congress. The purchase included 828,000 square miles (530,000,000 acres) of land from Louisiana all the way to modern-day Montana. In exchange for this land, the U.S. Government paid France $15 million ($337 in modern U.S. dollars), which comes out to about $18 per square mile, or around three cents per acre.[1][2]
When the purchase occurred, an estimated 60,000 settlers and enslaved people lived on the land along with a much greater population of Native Americans of various tribes. The land of 15 different current U.S. states was either partially or fully bought in this purchase. The land, if sold today, would be worth about $12,000 per acre, for a total value of $6.36 trillion.[2][1]
Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left nearly a decade ago and has had no involvement since that time.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- October 19, 2023-49 states have provisions for the state legislature to impeach the governor
- October 18, 2023-80% of voters believe that it is important for children to be raised in a household with both their mother and their father present
- October 17, 2023-63% of voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that Iran was heavily involved in planning and supporting the attack on Israel
- October 16, 2023-68% of voters believe it is important for the United States to help Israel defend itself
- October 13, 2023-44 presidential executive orders have been made on average per year since the beginning of the Regan administration
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