By the Numbers: EARTH, WIND, FIRE, WATER

Whether you’re a Greek classicist, an astrologist reading signs, or a fan of the early ‘90s eco-cartoon “Captain Planet and the Planeteers,” here are some interesting numbers covering earth, wind, fire, and water.

29,035
Feet to the summit of Mt. Everest, the highest point on the surface of the Earth

1 billion
Acres the Amazon Rainforest covers in South America (if it were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world)

261,231
Square miles in the state of Texas, the second largest amount in the country

30
Percent of the remaining tropical rain forest land on Earth that resides in Brazil

70
Percentage of anti-cancer plants found in the rain forest

231
Speed in miles per hour of the highest wind speed ever recorded on Mount Washington in 1934

8.9
Average annual wind speed in miles per hour recorded in Austin vs. 10.3 mph in Chicago, “the windy city”

29
Average speed in kilometers per hour the wind blows in Wellington, New Zealand, the windiest city on Earth

25
Percent increase per year in wind turbine use over the last decade

1871
Year of the Great Chicago Fire, which lasted 27 hours and destroyed over 2,000 acres of land

14 
Speed in miles per hour that a wildfire can travel

95
Percent of all fire-related deaths which occur once the fire has progressed beyond the early stages

90
Percentage of wildfires that are started by human activities

2,000
Gallons of water the average American uses each day, 95 percent of which is hidden in our food, energy, and products

643 quadrillion
Gallons of water in the Gulf of Mexico

1888
Year of the infamous blizzard that stretched from Maine to New Jersey and dropped as much as 50 inches of snow in some places

7
Number of Platinum Albums recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire

23
Inches of possible sea level increase by the next century due to global warming

3
Amount of days a human can live without any water intake

66
Percentage of adults who do not drink enough water every day

68
Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit of Barton Springs pool here in Austin

7 billion
Amount of people currently living on Earth

1804
Year the Earth’s population reached one billion

88
Percent cleaner a cat’s saliva is than the tap water that we drink
(April Fool's!)