From the number
of televisions set up around the National Mall to the
number of Facebook updates moments after Barack Obama became
the 44th president of the United States, the most
expensive inauguration in history broke records on a
number of levels. Take a look at some of the more
jaw-dropping statistics.
- 20+: Number of JumboTrons set up around the
National Mall
- 5,000: Number of portable toilets distributed
on the National Mall
- 10,000: Number of buses that city
transportation and Secret Service officials
expect to ferry people to Washington, D.C. Placed end to
end, the buses would stretch 85 miles.
- 240,000: Number of free tickets distributed for
the swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill
- 32: The high temperature, in Fahrenheit,
forecast for Tuesday
- 1: Number of minutes it took for the 5,000
inauguration parade route tickets to sell out on
Ticketmaster
- 10: Number of balls Mr. and Mrs. Obama were
expected to attend on Inauguration Day
- 2 million+: Number of people who had
gathered on the National Mall before 10 a.m.
(the previous record for largest inaugural crowd: 1.5
million in 1965 for the swearing in of Lyndon B.
Johnson)
- 4 million: Dollars spent by AT&T to
increase its cellular service capacity along the
parade route
- 32,000: Number of military personnel who will
be on duty or on standby for the inauguration
- 3,000: Number of people commenting on
Facebook's CNN feed every minute during
Obama's inauguration
- 200,000: Number of Facebook status updates five
minutes after the inauguration
- 1: Number of tons of cheese and chocolate
used in preparation for inaugural festivities
Sources: Associated Press, Pocket Lint, CNN, Triangle Business Journal
