Of the proposals delivered during previous State of the Union speeches, 43.3 percent, on average, actually are enacted during the following year, according to data collected from 1965 to 2002. But the actual legislative success varies from year to year. Check out the State of the Union, by the numbers, here.
That’s how much the largest overseas investor in U.S. shale, BHP Billiton Ltd., will cut its oil rigs in the United States, going from 26 to 16 by July. As Bloomberg reports, the move comes amid worries about lower iron-ore earnings as petroleum prices drop.
That’s how many people watched last year’s Super Bowl halftime show, featuring Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. That’s the largest audience in the history of the game. This year, viewership could be divided between the televised entertainment, and a YouTube halftime show featuring Internet celebrities.
“Shh, I’m trying to Shazam this song,” said your friend at every coffee shop ever. As reported by the New York Times, the smartphone app that can identify songs has raised $30 million in new funding, putting the company’s valuation at $1 billion.
And on the seventh day, Amazon applied dynamic pricing to the Bible. As reported by Quartz, the price of a standard King James version of the Holy Bible on Amazon has fluctuated quite a bit in the last couple years (100 times in five years, to be exact), ranging from $8.49 at its lowest to $16.99 at its highest. Most likely, it’s due to an automated algorithm responding to ups and downs in consumer demand.
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