Rudy’s never been so great with the numbers. Photo: AP
Officials have stopped making public their counts of the revelers who pour into Times Square every New Year’s Eve, the Times tells us this morning. “Whatever the count was, it was usually never enough for whatever group was involved,” a Police Department spokesperson told the paper wearily. So they just gave up. Generally, it seems that over the years, the crowd hovered between 300,000 and 600,000, except for back when Rudy Giuliani was mayor. Then, it seems, the city was so safe and fun and happy that everyone was there! Or maybe not?
The one major exception was Dec. 31, 1999, for the countdown to 2000. Rudolph W. Giuliani, who was mayor at the time, said that the crowd was “pushing two million.” That prompted an analysis by The Times, which found reason for skepticism.
Yeah. Now only if people would give up on calculating those pesky crime, murder, and spending statistics. Then Giuliani might actually get elected president!
How Many In Times Square? Let’s Just Say, A Lot [NYT]
Related: Citing Statistics, Giuliani Misses Time and Again [NYT]
