Dog-Days Data
Number of dogs the National Dog Foundation, which designated Aug. 26 National Dog Day, hopes to rescue each year from homelessness and abuse: 10,000
Estimated maximum number of meteors you’ll see per hour during the Perseid meteor shower, Aug. 11 to 13: 50
Number of high-school athletes in the U.S. every year who suffer heat-related illness serious enough to require medical attention and missing a practice or game: 10,000
Percentage who are football players: 80
Back-to-School Bits
Average number of hours per day children ages 5 to 9 read or are read to: 1
Average number of hours per day they’re exposed to television, video games, computers and other electronic media: 8 1/2
Number of states in 2012 that offer tax-free days to encourage back-to-school shopping: 21
Year the Long Beach Unified School District in California became the first district to require uniforms in its public schools: 1994
Percentage drop in suspensions after Long Beach mandated uniforms: 90
Percentage drop in school vandalism: 69
Percentage of their body weight children typically carry in their backpacks: 14
Percentage of parents who have weighed their children’s backpacks: 4
Pounds children typically lift during the school year by carrying a 12-pound backpack to and from school: 21,600
Sources: Holidayinsights.com, Earthsky.org, CNN.com, Authorsadvocate.net, Singleparents.About.com, Educationbug.org, New York Times
