Numbers

$12,420 Amount the military issues to survivors of troops killed on duty

$100,000 Amount the Pentagon has proposed for this "death benefit"

$267,494 Amount the Federal Government issues to survivors of police officers killed on duty

2,200% Increase in U.S. bankruptcies caused by illness or medical debt from 1981 to 2001

50% Approximate percentage of bankruptcies in 2001 caused by illness or medical debt

36% Proportion of high school students who say newspapers should get government approval before printing a story

74% Proportion who say people should not be allowed to burn or deface an American flag as a political statement

10 min. 24 sec. Time it took Rudolf Reitberger to climb 86 floors and win the Empire State Building Run-Up

93 Age of the oldest and last-place Run-Up participant, Chico Scimone, who finished in 49 min. 28 sec.

Sources: USA Today (3); Harvard Medical School (2); John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (2); Reuters (2)